Current Affairs - Awards and Honours

Anup Kumar Saha will become the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Kotak Mahindra Bank from January 1, 2027, for a three-year tenure. The Reserve Bank of India approved his appointment under Section 35B of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949. Saha will succeed Ashok Vaswani, whose tenure ends on December 31, 2026. Saha joined Kotak Mahindra Bank in January 2026 and currently serves as a Whole-time Director (Executive Director). He has over 32 years of professional experience, including 25 years in banking and non-banking financial services. He holds a B.Tech from IIT Kharagpur and an MBA from IIM Lucknow.

Narendra Bhooshan assumed charge as Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in 2026. He is a 1992-batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre with more than 30 years of administrative experience at both the central and state levels. Before joining MoEFCC, he served as Secretary of the Department of Land Resources under the Ministry of Rural Development. His career has included senior responsibilities in energy, infrastructure, agriculture, industry, urban development, finance and land management. He holds a degree in Electronics and a Master’s degree in International Development Policy from Duke University, USA.

Smit Machchhar will receive the Vishisht Gujarat Garima Award for his bravery during a mid-air emergency involving Flydubai flight FZ1073. The flight was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv when an incident in the cockpit left Captain Machchhar seriously injured. Despite his injuries, he helped ensure that the aircraft landed safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where he received medical treatment. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel announced the state honour, describing Machchhar’s actions as an act of courage and dedication. The Gujarat government also offered him a reward of ₹25 lakh in recognition of his heroic efforts.

Abhiram Singh Yadav of Persatuan Cricket Indonesia was elected to the ICC Chief Executives’ Committee (CEC) as an Associate Member representative on September 28, 2026. He fills one of the three seats reserved for Associate Members on the committee. Yadav succeeds Gurumurthy Palani, who vacated the position after being appointed to the ICC Board in July 2026. His term will continue until the next elections at the ICC Annual Conference, with the next round of elections scheduled for June 2027. The CEC oversees the management of cricket and the ICC’s commercial activities and includes representatives from Full and Associate Members.

Harsh Sanghani was re-elected unopposed as the President of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) Youth Committee on September 22, 2026, during the ICA Global Cooperative Conference in Panama City. He was also confirmed as the Youth Representative to the ICA Global Board. Sanghani initially became the first person of Asian origin to lead the ICA Youth Committee when he was elected on July 3, 2025. At just 20 years old, he became the youngest board member in the history of the Alliance. His proposed initiatives include CoopEdTech, leadership development programs, an innovation incubator for youth ventures, and a Global Youth Cooperative Policy Forum.