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Mr. Prabhat Kumar, (IFS: 1991), presently Ambassador of India to Colombia has been appointed as the country's next Ambassador to Kazakhstan.

 

A press release from the Ministry of External Affairs said that he was expected to take up the assignment shortly.

 

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Former Union Minister and veteran Congress leader Santosh Mohan Dev, who was a heavyweight in the party and the Government in the 1980s and 1990s, passed away at a hospital in Silchar, Assam this morning.

 

He was 83. He is survived by his wife and four daughters, including Ms. Sushmita Dev, a Congress member of the Lok Sabha from Silchar.

 

"Nothing could have prepared me for this moment. I lost him at 6.06 am today. Thank you everyone for your prayers, your love for him," Ms. Dev said on microblogging site Twitter.

 

Born on April 1, 1934, Mr. Dev had a degree in Commerce from the Gurucharan College, Silchar and an MBA from the Welsh College of Advanced Technology and Commerce, Cardiff, United Kingdom.

 

Starting out in public life as the Chairman of the Municipal Board in Silchar, Mr. Dev was elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time in 1980 and was re-elected six times in the years that followed. Of his seven terms in the Lok Sabha, he represented Silchar five times and was elected from Tripura twice.

 

He served as Union Minister of State for Tourism and Communications from October 1986 to February 1988, Minister of State for defence from February 1988 to June 1988 and Minister of State for Home Affairs from June 1988 to December 1989.

 

He was Union Minister of State for Steel with  independent charge from June 1991 to May 1996 in the P V Narasimha Rao Government.

 

In the first term of the Manmohan Singh government, he served as Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, with independent charge, from May 23, 2004 to November 17, 2005. He was elevated to Cabinet Rank and put in charge of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises from November 18, 2005.

 

He lost to Mr. Kabindra Purkayastha of the BJP in the 2009 elections for the 15th Lok Sabha.

 

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Among other things, Mr. Dev was associated with sports and was Vice-President of the Assam Olympic Association and President of the Delhi Soccer Association. He was part of the Organising Committee of the 1982 Asian Games in Delhi. He was a certified and professionally qualfied football referee.

 

Mr. Dev was a third generation Congressman. His father was one of the first legislators in independent India and his grandfather had played an active part in the freedom struggle was was a member of the first Silchar Municipal Council in 1913.

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled Mr. Dev's passing away. "Saddened by the passing away of Shri Santosh Mohan Dev. He was veteran political leader who worked extensively for welfare of people," he said on Twitter.

 

"My thoughts are with the family and supporters of Shri Santosh Mohan Dev in this hour of grief," he added.

 

Congress President Sonia also condoled Mr. Dev's death and expressed her deepest condolences to his family.

 

She noted that, in a political career spanning five decades, Mr. Dev held numerous crucial political assignments in the Congress party and in the Government including that of a Union Cabinet Minister.

 

"His immense contribution to build the party in the Northeast, right from the grassroots level would always be remembered, she said. His death is an irreparable loss to the nation," she said, expressing her solidarity with his family and supporters, particularly Congress MP Sushmita Dev.

 

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Renowned molecular biologist Pushpa Mitra Bhargava, who was the founder-director of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad, passed away here today in his sleep.

 

He was 89. He is survived by a son and a daughter. 

 

Dr. Bhargava, who remained active after his retirement some years ago, was suffering from kidney ailments and was undergoing dialysis regularly. He developed fever this morning and was resting at home when he passed away, sources close to him said.

 

"We are very sad to inform you that the founding director of CSIR-CCMB, Dr. Pushpa Mitra Bhargava has passed away today," CCMB announced on Twitter.

 

Born on February 22, 1928, at Ajmer in Rajasthan, Dr. Bhargava received his B.Sc. in 1944 from Queen's College in Uttar Pradesh and then obtained M.Sc. in Organic Chemistry and Ph.D. in Synthetic Organic Chemistry from Lucknow University.

 

He moved to Hyderabad and worked in the early 1950s at the then Central Laboratories for Scientific and Industrial Research, now called the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology – IICT, and then at Osmania University.

 

In 1953, he went on a post-doctoral fellowship to the McArdle Memorial Laboratory of Cancer Research, University of Wisconsin, Madison in the United States and worked in the laboratory of Charles Heidelberger. During 1956-57, he worked at the National Institute for Medical Research in the United Kingdom as a special Wellcome Trust Research Fellow, a stint that marked his transition from chemistry to biology.

 

He returned to the Central Laboratories for Scientific and Industrial Research in Hyderabad, which had by then been by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and named Regional Research Laboratory (now known as Indian Institute of Chemical Technology).

 

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In 1977, he established the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) and retired from there in 1990 to join the newly created CSIR Distinguished Fellowship, from which he was relieved in 1993.

 

CCMB was set up initialy as a semi-autonomous centre in the Biochemistry Division of the then Regional Research Laboratory. During 1981–82, CCMB was accorded the status of a full-fledged national laboratory.

 

Dr. Bhargava also served as Vice-Chairman of the National Knowledge Commission, a member of the National Security Advisory Board and a nominee of the Supreme Court of India on the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee of the Government of India. He was opposed to the approval of GM foods in India.

 

Among other things, he was involved in the promotion of science and rationality and, in 1963, along with Satish Dhawan and Abdur Rahman, founded the Society for the Promotion of Scientific Temper.

 

He was honoured by the Government with the Padma Bhushan, the nation's third highest civilian honour, in 1986. He, however, returned the award in 2015 to protest the alleged rise in intolerance and erosion of space for dissent in the country.

 

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Mr. Ravi Bangar, (IFS: 1982), presently High Commissioner of India to Cyprus, has been appointed as the country's next Ambassador to Colombia.

 

A press release from the Ministry of External Affairs said Mr. Bangar was expected to take up his assignment shortly.

 

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Lt Gen Abhay Krishna has been appointed as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C), Eastern Command of the Indian Army.

 

He will take over from outgoing incumbent Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi tomorrow, an official press release said.

 

"Lt Gen Abhay Krishna brings with him a great measure of professional competence and vast operational experience. A gallantry award winner in Counter Insurgency in Manipur, he commanded Rashtriya Rifles Battalion in the Kashmir valley. A thorough professional, he has served two tenures as UN observer, in Mozambique & Rawanda and another in Burundi. 

 

"He has served four tenures along the Line of Actual Control on the Northern Borders. He commanded an infantry battalion in Sikkim and was responsible for planning operations as BGS 3 Corps in the North East Sector and later commanded an infantry division and a Corps in the same area. After a stint in the South Western Command, he now assumes the responsibility of the Eastern Theatre," the release added.

 

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Renowed Hindustani classical vocalist Ustad Hussain Sayeeduddin Dagar, the youngest of the eight famous Dagar brothers, who were all exponents of the Dhrupad tradition, passed away at a private hospital here late last night after a brief illness.

 

He was 78. He is survived by his wife Rihanna and sons, Nafeesuddin and Aneesuddin, both exponents of Dhrupad.

 

Born at Alwar in Rajasthan on April 20, 1939, the maestro, known popularly as Saeed Bhai, was the son of Ustad Hussainuddin Khan Dagar, who died in 1963. He had made Pune his home since 1984.

 

Sayeeduddin was a part of the illustrious Dagar family of musicians, who preserved the oldest existing form north Indian classical music, and represented the 19th generation of the Dagar tradition.

 

The family is credited with keeping the Dhrupad tradition alive at a time when the patronage of the royal courts and aristocrats was gone.

 

Sayeeduddin was a regular performer at the Dhrupad festival in Varanasi.

 

Among his older brothers, Nasir Moinuddin and Nasir Aminuddin Dagar were known as the elder Dagar brothers, while Nasir Zahiruddin and Nasir Faiyazuddin Dagar were called the junior Dagar brothers.

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the demise of Ustad Sayeeduddin, saying his contribution to Hindustani classical music would be remembered for generations.

 

"People across India and the world were enthralled by the music of Ustad Hussain Sayeeduddin Dagar, an inspiration for music enthusiasts," he said on micro-blogging site Twitter.

 

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Renowned poet, educator, novelist and columnist Eunice de Souza, who inspired generations of students as a teacher, passed away at her residence here today. She was 77.

 

Ms. de Souza served as Professor of English and later as the Head of the Department of English at St. Xavier's College, Mumbai and was closely involved with its theatre activities as an actor and director and its literary festival before retiring from there some years ago.

 

Born in Pune in 1940, Ms. de Souza did her Master's in English literature from the Marquette University, Wisconsin in the United States and then completed her Ph. D. from the University of Mumbai.

 

She came to be widely recognized as one of the best Indian poets writing in English. She also used to write columns for newspapers and was involved in theatre as an actor and director.

 

She published her first collection of poems, Fix, in 1979 and the latest, Learn from the Almond Leaf, came out a year ago. She also wrote two novels, Dangerlok (2001) and Dev and Simran (2003). She also edited several anthologies of poems and essays. Several of her works have been translated into Portuguese, Italian, Finnish and Swedish. She also wrote four books for children.

 

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Former Karnataka Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh passed away at a private hospital here this morning after suffering a cardiac arrest, official sources said.

 

He was 80.

 

Mr. Singh served as the 17th Chief Minister of the State from May 2004 to February 2006 at the head of a Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition government.

 

Born on December 25, 1936, Mr. Dharam Singh was elected to the Karnataka Legislative Assembly for seven consecutive terms. He also represented Bidar in the 14th Lok Sabha.

 

He had begun his political career as an independent councillor in Kalaburagi. He started out as a socialist before joining the Congress in the late 1960s and remained loyal to the party since then, a factor that led to his elevation as Chief Minister in 2004.

 

He had also served as a Minister under various Chief Ministers such as Devraj Urs, R. Gundu Rao, S. Bangarappa, M. Veerappa Moily and S. M. Krishna, handling diverse portfolios. He also worked as president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee in the 1990s.

 

The coalition government headed by him collapsed in February 2006 and he was succeeded by JD (S) leader H. D. Kumaraswamy at the head of a coalition government with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Mr. Dharam Singh then served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly.

 

"Shocked to hear the demise of our former CM & one of Karnataka's tallest leaders Shri N Dharam Singh. My heartfelt condolences to his family," Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on micro-blogging site Twitter.

 

"Today, Karnataka has lost a well respected, affable and beloved leader. And I have lost a dear friend," he added.

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condoled the demise of Mr. Dharam Singh.

 

“Saddened by the demise of former Karnataka CM Shri N. Dharam Singh. My thoughts are with his family & supporters in this sad hour.

 

"Shri N. Dharam Singh had rich experience in Karnataka & national politics. His dedicated service towards society will be remembered," he said on Twitter.

 

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Mr. Subhash Chandra Garg, Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Ministry of Finance has been appointed as India’s Alternate Governor on the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Manila, Philippines with effect from July 12.

 

Mr. Garg has been appointed in place of former Secretary, DEA, Mr. Shaktikanta Das, an official press release added.

 

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Well-known Gandhian, freedom fighter and social worker K. E. Mammen passed away at a private hospital in Neyyattinkara near here today.

 

He was 96. 

 

He had been under treatment at the hospital for issues related to old age for the past three months.

 

Mammen, who had taken part in the Quit India movement and in the agitation against Sir C. P. Ramaswami Iyer, the then Dewan of the erstwhile Travancore state, was also actively involved in the anti-liquor campaign in the state in recent years.

 

Born on July 31, 1921 into the renowned Kandathil family to K. C. Eapen and Kunjandamma, Mammen got involved in the freedom struggle from an early age. He practised Gandhian principles and led an austere life. He remained unmarried.

 

A man who owned no house, car or other worldly possessions, Mammen was staying with his brother's son for the past many years.

 

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Well-known scientist and educator Yash Pal, who had served as Secretary, Department of Science and Technology and as Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC) passed away at a hospital in Noida, near here, last night.

 

He was 90. He is survived by  his wife Nirmal Pal and two sons, Anil Pal and Rahul Pal.

 

His body will be cremated at the Lodhi Road electric crematorium in New Delhi this afternoon, his family said.

 

They said Prof. Yash Pal had been admitted to the hospital briefly for treatment of complications related to old age and breathed his last around 8 pm yesterday.

 

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Renowned space scientist and former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman Udupi Ramachandra Rao passed away at his residence here in the early hours of today, ISRO officials said.

 

He was 85. He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter. His last rites will be held here later today, they said.

 

Prof. Rao was respected for his original contributions to the development of space technology in India and its extensive application to communications and remote sensing of natural resources.

 

He was the Chairman of the Governing Council of the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) at Ahmedabad and the Chancellor of the Indian Institute of Science and Technology at Thiruvananthapuram. 

 

Born on March 10, 1932 at Adamaru in Karnataka, he strudied at Christian High School, Udupi, Government Arts and Science College, Anantpur, and  Banaras Hindu University. He completed his Ph. D. at Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) under the guidance of Dr. Vikram Sarabhai.

 

Prof. Rao started his career as a cosmic ray scientist, and worked under Dr. Sarabhai, which he continued at MIT. He also worked as Assistant Professor at University of Texas at Dallas where, in association with the JPL Group, he was the first to establish the continuous nature of the solar wind and its effect on geomagnetism using Mariner 2 observations.

 

His experiments on a number of Pioneer and Explorer spacecraft led to a complete understanding of the solar cosmic ray phenomena and the electromagnetic state of the interplanetary space. 

 

Prof. Rao returned to India in 1966 as Professor at PRL, Ahmedabad. Convinced of the imperative need to use space technology for rapid development, Prof. Rao undertook the responsibility for the establishment of satellite technology in India in 1972. Under his guidance, beginning with the first Indian satellite "Aryabhata" in 1975, over 18 satellites including Bhaskara, APPLE, Rohini, INSAT-1 and INSAT-2 series of multipurpose satellites and the IRS-1A and IRS-1B remote sensing satellites were designed, fabricated and launched for providing communication, remote sensing and meteorological services.

 

After taking charge as Chairman, Space Commission and Secretary, Department of Space in 1984, Prof. Rao accelerated the development of rocket technology, resulting in the successful launch of Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV) rocket and the operational Polar Sattelite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) launch vehicle, which can launch 2.0 ton class of satellites into polar orbit. 

 

Prof. Rao initiated the development of the geostationary launch vehicle (GSLV) and the development of cryogenic technology in 1991.

 

He was responsible for successful launch of INSAT satellites during his stint at ISRO, which gave a big thrust to communications in India, during the 1980s and 1990s and led to the IT boom in the country.

 

Prof Rao had published over 350 scientific and technical papers covering cosmic rays, interplanetary physics, high energy astronomy, space applications and satellite and rocket technology and authored many books.He was also the recipient of D.Sc. (Hon. Causa) degree from over 25 Universities including University of Bologna, the oldest University in Europe.

 

He was awarded the Padma Bhushan, the nation's third highest civilian honour, by the Government in 1976 and the Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian honour, in 2017.

 

He was the first Indian space scientist to be inducted into the prestigious “Satellite Hall of Fame” at Washington DC, USA on March 19, 2013. Earlier, he had become the first Indian to be inducted into the International Astronautics Federation (IAF) Hall of Fame on May 15, 2016 at Guadalajara, Mexico.

 

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Mr. Uzhavoor Vijayan, the president of the Kerala unit of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), passed away at a private hospital here today after a brief illness.

 

He was 60. He is survived by his wife and two daughters.

 

According to sources, Mr. Vijayan had been admitted to the hospital on July 11 for treatment of liver-related ailments. His condition took a turn for the worse early today and he breathed his last around 7 am, they said.

 

His body will be taken to Kottayam, where it will be kept at the Police Ground for people to pay homage. The funeral is scheduled for tomorrow at Uzhavoor.

 

Mr. Vijayan who entered politics through the Kerala Students' Union (KSU), the students' wing of the Congress, was admired for his oratory and caustic humour.

 

He had served as the chairman of the Kerala State Handicapped Persons' Welfare Corporation and Secretary of the State Pollution Control Board.

 

He had lost to Congress (M) chairman K. M. Mani from the Pala constituency in the 2001 assembly polls -- the only election he contested. Later, he left the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and joined the Congress (S).

 

Mr. Vijayan had also appeared in a couple of movies and television serials.

 

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The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved several senior-level appointments, according to a notification issued by the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT).

 

The notificaiton said Mr. Ashok MR Dalawai, lAS (OR 84), Additional Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare has been appointed as CEO National Rainfed Area Authority by upgrading the post to the level of Secretary (Equivalent) .

 

Mr. Anup Wadhawan, lAS (UK 85), Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Logistics, Department of Commerce by operating the newly created post of Special Secretary in the Ministry, at the level of Additional Secretary for two years or until further orders, whichever is earlier.

 

Mr. J. Rama Krishna Rao, lAS (BH 85), Additional Secretary, Ministry of Defence has been appointed as Secretary, National Commission for Minorities in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary to Government of India.

 

Mr. Sanjiv Gupta, lAS (HP 85), Additional Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion has been appointed as CEO, National E-Governance Division (NeGD), Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, by temporarily upgrading the post to the level of Additional Secretary for a period of two years or until further orders, whichever is earlier.

 

Ms. Usha Sharma, lAS (RJ 85), Additional Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances has been appointed as Director General, Archaeological Survey of India in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary to the Government of India.

 

Mr. Alok Vardhan Chaturvedi, lAS (BH 86) Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce has been appointed as Director General Foreign Trade in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary to the Government of India.

 

Mr. Anil Kumar Jain, lAS (MP 86) Additional Secretary, NITI Aayog has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change vice Mr. R.R. Rashmi, lAS (MN 83) who has been repatriated to his cadre.

 

Mr. Nagendra Nath Sinha, lAS (JH 87) who is presently in the cadre, has been appointed as Managing Director, National Highways Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary to the Government of India.

 

Mr. V P Joy, lAS (KL 87) Central Provident Fund Commissioner has been appointed as Central Provident Fund Commissioner, in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary, by restoring the post to the earlier level of Additional Secretary.

 

Mr. Sunil Kumar, lAS (UP 87) Joint Secretary, Department of Commerce has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce vice Mr. Alok Vardhan Chaturvedi, lAS (BH 86) on his appointment as Director General Foreign Trade.

 

Mr. Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, lAS (TG 87) Joint Secretary, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs by operating the newly created post of Special Secretary in the Ministry at the level of Additional Secretary for two years or until further orders, whichever is earlier.

 

Mr. Pradip Kumar Tripathi, lAS (JK 87) Joint Secretary, Department of Personnel & Training has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training.

 

Mr. Raj Kumar, lAS (GJ 87) Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs has been appointed as Director General, Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary to the Government of India.

 

Mr. Barun Mitra, lAS (MN 87) Joint Secretary, Ministry of Shipping has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Defence vice Mr. J. Rama Krishna Rao, lAS (BH 85) on his appointment as Secretary, National Commission for Minorities.

 

Mr. Praveen Kumar, lAS (TN 87) Joint Secretary, Ministry of Human Resource Development has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy.

 

Mr. Manoj Jhalani, lAS (MP 87) Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.

 

Ms. Vasudha Mishra, lAS (TG 87) Managing Director, NCDCI has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances vice Ms. Usha Sharma, lAS (RJ:85) on her appointment as DG, Archaeological Survey of India.

 

Mr. Lalit Kumar Gupta, lAS (TR 87) Joint Secretary, Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment.

 

Ms. Leena Nandan, lAS (UP 87) Joint Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has been appointed as Additional Secretary & Financial Adviser, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways.

 

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Mr. Jiwesh Nandan, lAS (UP 87), Joint Secretary, Ministry of Defence has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Defence.

 

Mr. Pravir Krishna, lAS (MP 87), Joint Secretary, Ministry of Shipping has been appointed as Managing Director, TRIFED in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary to the Government of India.

 

Mr. Rameshwar Prasad Gupta, lAS (GJ 87), Joint Secretary, Ministry of Coal has been appointed as Managing Director, NAWADCO, in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary to the Government of India.

 

Mr. Pradeep Kumar, lAS ( KL 87), Joint Secretary & Financial Adviser, Ministry of Power has been appointed as Project Director, National Disaster Management Authority in the vacancy caused on completion of tenure of Ms. Mamta Kundra, IA&AS, in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary to the Government of India.

 

Mr. Sanjay Kumar Singh, lAS (MP 87) Administrator, Universal Services Obligation Fund has been appointed as Administrator, Universal Services Obligation Fund, in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary, by temporarily upgrading the post to the level of Additional Secretary for a period of two years or until further orders, whichever is earlier.

 

Mr. Vijay Kumar Dev, lAS (AGMUT 87), Deputy Election Commissioner has been appointed as Director General, National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD) in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary to the Government of India.

 

Mr. Ajay Tirkey, lAS (MP 87), Joint Secretary, Ministry of Human Resource Development has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Women & Child Development.

 

Mr. Rajiv Bansal, lAS (NL 88), Joint Secretary, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology has been appointed as Additional Secretary & Financial Adviser, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas.

 

Ms. Ravneet Kaur, lAS (PB 88), Joint Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion has been appointed as CMD, India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary to the Government of India.

 

Mr. Ali Raza Rizvi, lAS (HP 88), Joint Secretary, Department of Commerce Commerce has been appointed as CMD, National Mineral Development Corporation, Ministry of Steel in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary to the Government of India.

 

Ms. Upma Srivastava, lAS (SK 88), Joint Secretary, Ministryof Civil Aviation has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare vice Mr. Ashok MR Dalawai, lAS (OR 84) on his appointmentas CEO, National RainfedArea Authority.

 

Mr. Arun Kumar Mehta, lAS (JK 88), Joint Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change.

 

Mr. K. Rajeshwar Rao, lAS (TR 88), Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has been appointed as Additional Secretary,Ministryn of Mines.

 

Mr. Manoj Kumar, lAS (HP 88), Chief Vigilance Officer, Delhi Development Authority has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Housing and UrbanAffairs.

 

Mr. Shailendra Singh, lAS (MP 88), Joint Secretary, Departmentof Industrial Policy & Promotion has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion vice Mr. Sanjiv Gupta, lAS (HP 85) on his appointmentas CEO, NeGD.

 

Mr. S.K Dev Verman, lAS (MN 88), Joint Secretary, Ministry of Minority Affairs has been appointed as Additional Secretary, Ministry of Minority Affairs by temporarily upgrading the post held by him as a measure personal to the officer from the date of his assumption of charge of the post.

 

The notification said that the ACC had also approved:

 

(i) in-situ upgradationof Ms. Nilam Sawhney, lAS (AP 84), Secretary, Central Vigilance Commission and Mr. Udai Pratap Singh, lAS (JH 84), Vice-Chairman, Delhi Development Authority in the rank and pay of Secretary.

 

ii) appointment of Ms. Vijaya Srivastava, lAS (MP 84), Additional Secretary, M/o Health and Family Welfare as Special Secretary, Department of Health and FamilyWelfare by temporarily upgrading the post.

 

(iii) the premature repatriation of Mr. Jishnu Barua, lAS (AM 88), Joint Secretary, Department of Personnel & Training ,back to the cadre with immediate effect with the imposition of extended cooling off condition.

 

(iv) the officers of the 1987/1988 batches who are serving in the Centre and who have been empanelled to hold Additional Secretary/Additional Secretary equivalent posts at the Centre, may be upgraded in-situ in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary as a measure personal to them by temporarily upgrading the posts held by them from the date their immediate inter-se junior officer in the batch assumes charge of the post of Additional Secretary/ Additional Secretary equivalent.

 

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Mr. Sanjay Kothari, Chairman, Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB), has been appointed as Secretary to the President, a notification by the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) has said.

 

Mr. Kothari is a retired officer of the 1978 batch of the Indian Administrative Service (Haryana cadre). He has served in various positions in Haryana and as Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training at the Centre.

The notification said the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) had also approved the appointment of Mr. Bharat Lal, IFoS (GJ 88), as Joint Secretary to the President. Mr. Lal is currently Resident Commissioner of the Gujarat Government in Delhi.

 

Well-known journalist and analyst Ashok Malik, who is currently Distinguished Fellow, Observer Research Foundation (ORF), New Delhi, has been appointed as Press Secretary to the President, the notification added.

 

Mr. Malik, 48, is a columnist for several Indian and foreign publications. He was honoured by the Government with the Padma Shri in 2016. 

 

A student of La Martiniere School and Presidency College in Kolkata, he began his career with The Telegraph in Kolkata and later worked for various publications including The Times of India, India Today and Indian Express. He has been with ORF since 2015.

 

The appointments are for an initial period of two years, the notification added.

 

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Mr. Gopal Baglay, Joint Secretary (External Publicity) and Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), has been appointed as Joint Secretary in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

 

The appointment will be for a period of three years from the date of assumption of charge of the post or until further orders, whichever is earlier, a notification from the Department of Personnel and Training said.

 

Mr. Baglay is an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer of the 1992 batch and had taken over as MEA spokesperson only five months ago.

 

He will succeed Mr. Vinay Mohan Kwatra (IFS:1988), who has been appointed as the Ambassador of India to France.

 

The notification said that the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) had also approved that Mr. Kwatra and Mr. Baglay would work together in the PMO for an overlapping period of two weeks to facilitate smooth transition of work.

 

Mr. Baglay has served in Indian missions in Kyiv, Moscow, London and Kathmandu and as Deputy High Commissioner in Islamabad. He had served as Director (External Publicity) and Director (Pakistan, Afghanistan & Iran) in the MEA. Before returning to the External Publicity Division, he had served as Joint Secretary dealing with Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran in the MEA.

 

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Mr. Sanjiv Kohli, presently High Commissioner of India to New Zealand, has been concurrently accredited as the country's next High Commissioner to Niue, with residence in Wellington.

 

A press release from the Ministry of External Affairs said Mr. Kohli, an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer of the 1988 batch, is expected to take up his assignment shortly.

 

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Tata Sons today announced the appointment of Ms. Aarthi Subramanian as the Tata Group’s chief digital officer with effect from August. 

 

Ms Subramanian will report to Mr. N Chandrasekaran, Executive Chairman of Tata Sons, in her new role, a press release from the company said.

 

A professional with over 26 years of experience in the global technology sector, Ms Subramanian started her career with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and worked in diverse roles in India, Sweden, the US and Canada, thereby gaining rich experience in consulting engagements and executing large-scale technology projects as well as in operations and programme management. 

 

She is currently executive director at TCS, responsible for driving the company’s digital foray, excellence in customer engagement and delivery governance. She has also been responsible for leading key initiatives such as digital, agile and operational excellence in TCS. 

 

Ms Subramanian will continue to serve on the Board of TCS as a non-executive director, the release said.

 

Mr Chandrasekaran said, “Aarthi has a great track record of successfully leading large teams to achieve excellence in customer service delivery and she has been a strong advocate of proactive value addition for customers. As the group chief digital officer, she will play a key role in driving digital adoption across group companies as well as the group’s digital initiatives. Having worked with Aarthi for many years, I know that her experience and commitment will be very valuable in building a Tata group that is ready to rise in the digital economy”.

 

“I am delighted to have the opportunity to work under Chandra’s leadership again. The Tata group is a unique institution with great strengths and it will be my endeavour to help the group capture many new economic opportunities that are emerging from the digital economy,” said Ms Subramanian.

 

Ms Subramanian is a graduate of computer science from the National Institute of Technology, Warangal, India, and holds a master’s degree in Engineering Management from University of Kansas, US.

 

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Mr. Subhash Chandra Garg, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the 1983 batch (Rajasthan cadre), today assumed office as the Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Ministry of Finance.

 

Mr. Garg was Executive Director, World Bank, Washington D.C. prior to this assignment.

 

Among other assignments, Mr. Garg has served as Director, DEA from May, 2000 to September, 2003. Later he took over as Joint Secretary, Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance and continued to hold that position till May, 2005. He has also worked in the Cabinet Secretariat where he held the position of Joint Secretary/Additional Secretary from February, 2012 to December, 2013, an official press release added.

 

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Former Indian Ambassador to the United States and former Union Cabinet Secretary Naresh Chandra passed away in a hospital in Goa late last night, sources said.

 

He was 82.

 

According to sources in the Manipal Hospital, Goa, Mr. Chandra was brought to the hospital late on Friday evening with complaints of fever and muscle pain following multiple episodes of vomiting and loose motions. His blood pressure and oxygenation were low.

 

He was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of the hospital where he suffered a cardiac arrest later that night. The doctors managed to revive him but his vital organs had started failing, they said.

 

Last night, around 10.05 pm, Mr. Chandra suffered another cardiac arrest and, despite their best efforts, the doctors could not save him. He was declared dead at 10.40 pm, they added.

 

The family of Mr. Chandra, who was a bachelor, has been informed and, once they arrive, his body would be flown to Delhi for the last rites, the sources said.

 

Mr. Chandra had served as the Cabinet Secretary from 1990-92 and as the Ambassador to the United States from 1996 to 2001. He was honoured by the Government with the Padma Vibhushan, the nation's second highest civilian honour, in 2007.

 

Born on August 1, 1934, Mr. Chandra, who had an M.Sc. in Mathematics from the Allahabad University, joined the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) in May, 1956 and served in various assignments in Rajasthan and at the Centre.

 

He became Chief Secretary of Rajasthan Government in July, 1985 and served as Adviser to the Governor of Jammu & Kashmir for eight months in the following year.

 

He served as Secretary, Water Resources from 1987-89, as Defence Secretary from February 1989 to March 1990 and Union Home Secretary from March 1990 to December that year before being appointed as Cabinet Secretary.

 

In August 1992 he was appointed as Senior Adviser to the Prime Ministr and served as Governor of Gujarat from July 1, 1995 to February 29, 1996.

 

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Mr. Achal Kumar Joti assumed charge here today as the 21st Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India, succeeding Dr. Nasim Zaidi, who demitted office yesterday after completing his tenure.

 

After the assumption of charge, Mr. Joti spoke about the priorities of the Commission and said that the Commission shall pursue vigorously its commitment to hold free, fair, inclusive and credible elections throughout the country. 

 

Secondly, the Commission will also pursue its mission to ensure that “No Voter to be Left Behind”, he said.

 

Thirdly, the Commission shall actively promote e-Governance for holding of elections to the State Assemblies and Parliamentary Elections in the country, he added.

 

Mr. Joti, 64,was the senior-most Election Commissioner in the Election Commission after Dr. Zaidi.

 

A retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Gujarat cadre, had joined as Election Commissioner on May 13, 2015. He had served as Chief Secretary of Gujarat from January 2010 until his retirement in 2013 during the period when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of the state.

 

Before that, he had served as Additional Chief Secretary, General Administration Department (Personnel). Among other assignments, he had served as Managing Director of the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited (SSNNL) and as Chairman of the Kandla Port Trust. He had also worked as Secretary in the Industry, Revenue and Water Supply Departments in the Gujarat Government.

 

Born on January 23, 1953, Mr. Joti holds a Bachelor's degree in Science and a Master's degree in Chemistry from the University of Delhi.

 

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Mr. Pradeep Kumar Rawat, presently Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) here, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Indonesia.

 

A press release from MEA said Mr. Rawat, an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer of the 1990 batch, is expected to take up his assignment shortly.

 

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The President has appointed Mr. Achal Kumar Joti, the senior-most Election Commissioner, as the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) in the Election Commission.

 

Mr. Joti, 64, will assume charge as CEC with effect from July 6 after current Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi demits office tomorrow at the end of his term.

 

Mr. Joti, a retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Gujarat cadre, had joined as Election Commissioner on May 13, 2015.

 

He had served as Chief Secretary of Gujarat from January 2010 until his retirement in 2013 during the period when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of the state.

 

Before that, he had served as Additional Chief Secretary, General Administration Department (Personnel). Among other assignments, Mr Joti had served as Managing Director of the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited (SSNNL) and as Chairman of the Kandla Port Trust. He had also worked as Secretary in the Industry, Revenue and Water Supply Departments in the Gujarat Government.

 

Born on January 23, 1953, Mr. Joti holds a Bachelor's degree in Science and a Master's degree in Chemistry from the University of Delhi.

 

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Mr. Sanjay Gupta, CEO & Whole Time Director, Jagran Prakashan Limited has been appointed as Chairman of the Society and Board of Governors of Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Amritsar for a period of five years with effect from June 23, 2017, an official press release said here today.

 

Mr. Gupta is the Editor-in-Chief of Dainik Jagran since 2014 and has been associated with the Jagran Group for more than two decades. He also served as a Member of Board of Governors in Indian Institute of Management Lucknow from 2004 to 2009 and as Member, Board of Governors of Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad from 2003-2011. 

 

Recently, Mr. Gupta was awarded with the AIMA Managing India Award in April 2017. He is also a Member of Shri Puran Chand Gupta Smarak Trust which is running several schools, colleges and Institutes in different parts of the country. 

 

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Mr. R K Pachnanda, an officer of the 1983 batch of the Indian Police Service (IPS), took charge as the new Director-General of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) here today.

 

Mr. Pachnanda, who is the 29th chief of ITBP, succceeded Mr. Krishna Chaudhary, who superannuated from service today.

 

Mr. Pachnanda has earlier served as Commissioner of Police, Kolkata and Director-General of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). He has been decorated with Indian Police Medal for Meritorious Service in 1999 and President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service in 2007. 

 

Known for the mountaineering skills, ITBP, the 90000 personnel-strong Central Armed Police Force primarily guards the 3,488 km India-China border at Border Out Posts (BOPs) located at freezing heights up to 18,700 ft in the upper Himalayas. 

 

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