National
‘CAPF Punarvaas’
⇒ The Ministry of Home Affairs under the directions of the Union Home Minister, Shri Amit Shah has launched ‘CAPF Punarvaas’, through the Welfare & Rehabilitation Board (WARB).
- ‘CAPF Punarvaas’ is launched with an aim to facilitate retired Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) and Assam Rifle personnel to secure employment with private security agencies.
The portal will help retired personnel seeking re-employment to find an appropriate match by uploading their personal details on the WARB website along with their area of expertise and preferred employment location.
This initiative is a step towards the welfare of CAPFs personnel and will go a long way in meeting their rehabilitation requirements.
Silver Jubilee Celebration of National Securities Depository Limited
⇒ Union Finance Minister, Smt Nirmala Sitharaman addressed the Silver Jubilee Celebration of India’s largest depository, National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL), in Mumbai on 07th May 2022.
- NSDL is India’s first and one of the leading Central Securities Depositories in the world.
Market Ka Eklavya:
As part of the celebration the Finance Minister launched ‘Market ka Eklavya,’ an online investor awareness program for students in Hindi and other regional languages.
- ‘Market ka Eklavya’ aims to introduce the basics of the securities market and also impart training on financial markets for students, in online mode.
» The Finance Minister also released the ‘My Stamp’ and special cover, honouring NSDL’s contribution to the development of Indian capital markets.
DLT Blockchain Technology:
Chairperson, SEBI, Madhabi Puri Buch unveiled NSDL’s Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) blockchain platform for Debenture Covenant Monitoring.
- Aimed at ensuring total transparency, the DLT Blockchain is to bring issuers and debenture trustees on a common ground to record asset charges as well as monitor the asset cover ratio and various covenants of the issuance, transparency in the debenture market.
Advisor to the Prime Minister of India
⇒ Former petroleum secretary Tarun Kapoor has been appointed as an advisor to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
- Kapoor, a 1987-batch IAS officer of the Himachal Pradesh cadre, superannuated as the secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas on November 30, 2021.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved appointment of Kapoor, as advisor to the Prime Minister, in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) initially for a period of two years from the date of joining.
Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST)
⇒ Rear Admiral Rahul Vilas Gokhale, NM assumed the charge of Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) of the Indian Navy on 01 May 2022.
He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy and was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 01 January 1992.
India’s new Foreign Secretary
⇒ Seasoned diplomat Vinay Mohan Kwatra on 01 May 2022 took charge as India’s new foreign secretary.
A 1988-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, Kwatra succeeded Harsh Vardhan Shringla who retired from service.
International
Meeting of the Prime Minister of India with the President of France
⇒ Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi paid an official visit to France on May 4, 2022 on his way back from the 2nd India-Nordic Summit in Copenhagen.
In Paris, Prime Minister met Mr Emmanuel Macron, President of France, in one-on-one and delegation level formats.
Discussion:
- The two leaders held discussions on the entire range of bilateral issues, including cooperation in defence, space, blue economy, civil nuclear and people-to-people ties.
- The two leaders also took stock of the regional and global security outlook and discussed ways to work together in making the India- France Strategic Partnership a force for global good.
Official link: India–France Joint Statement
Amnesty International UK Media Awards 2022
⇒ Hyderabad-based Harsha Vadlamani won Amnesty Media Award for photojournalism for his series on COVID-19 pandemic during the second way in 2021.
The photographs documenting the grim trail left by the disease was featured in the National Geographic magazine.
2022 Amnesty Media Award for Photojournalism: Harsha Vadlamani, See how rural India has been overrun by the pandemic’s second wave
- The winners of the Amnesty Media Awards 2022 were announced at a ceremony in London on 4 May 2022. The awards were conferred by Amnesty International UK.
- Amnesty International is the world’s leading human rights organisation with more than ten million supporters worldwide.
G. Krishnamoorthy receives British honour for his service during Covid- 19
⇒ Gurusamy Krishnamoorthy, chief executive officer of Penlon, a British medical device manufacturing firm, has received the The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (Civil Division) Award 2022 – Member of the Royal Order of British Empire (MBE) recognition from the Queen.
Gurusamy Krishnamoorthy is a native of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. He has received this recognition for services to the Ventilator Challenge. He led the consortium that delivered 11,700 ventilators to the U.K. government in 12 weeks during pandemic.
CIA's first Chief Technology Officer
⇒ CIA Director William J. Burns appointed Nand Mulchandani as CIA’s first Chief Technology Officer (CTO).
Nand Mulchandani, an Indian-American Silicon Valley IT expert who studied at a Delhi school, has been appointed the Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) first-ever Chief Technology Officer.
Mulchandani has over 25 years of expertise working in Silicon Valley. Prior to joining the CIA, Mulchandani most recently served as the CTO and Acting Director of DoD’s Joint Artificial Intelligence Center.