Current Affairs - Awards and Honours

Girikumar Nair, former Chief General Manager of the State Bank of India (SBI), was appointed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) as the Official Liquidator for Paytm Payments Bank Limited. His responsibilities include supervising the winding-up process, ensuring compliance with the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, and the Companies Act, 2013, managing the settlement of liabilities, and protecting the interests of depositors and stakeholders. The RBI initiated the liquidation after the Delhi High Court approved the process following the cancellation of the bank's licence due to serious regulatory violations. The RBI also assured that the bank has sufficient liquidity to repay eligible depositors.

Keshav Chandra, a 1995-batch IAS officer of the AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory) cadre, assumed charge as the Secretary of the Ministry of Mines on July 27, 2026. As Secretary, he will oversee key areas such as mineral exploration, auction and operationalisation of mineral blocks, and the development and management of critical and strategic minerals. He will also be responsible for implementing policies aimed at strengthening India's mining sector. The Ministry of Mines administers the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, and supervises organisations such as the Geological Survey of India (GSI) and the Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM).

Harjit Singh Grewal assumed charge as the Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) on July 21, 2026. The NCM is a statutory body established under the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992, and functions under the Ministry of Minority Affairs. It is responsible for safeguarding the rights and interests of six notified religious minority communities in India—Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Parsis (Zoroastrians), and Jains. Along with Grewal's appointment, S. Munawari Begum took charge as Vice Chairperson, while Glenn Souza Ticlo and Berjis Desai joined the Commission as members representing the Christian and Parsi communities, respectively.

Pralhad Joshi was assigned the additional charge of the Ministry of Education after President Droupadi Murmu accepted the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan on the recommendation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi under Article 75(2) of the Constitution. Joshi will continue to handle his existing portfolios of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and New and Renewable Energy while overseeing the Education Ministry until further orders. A senior BJP leader and Member of Parliament from Dharwad, Karnataka, he has previously served as the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Coal, and Mines, bringing extensive administrative and ministerial experience to his new responsibility.

Satya Pal Kumar, a 2005-batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer of the Income Tax cadre, has been appointed as the Director of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU)-India. The appointment was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) as part of a major bureaucratic reshuffle involving around 20 senior officers. FIU-India, functioning under the Ministry of Finance, is responsible for collecting, analysing, and sharing intelligence on suspicious financial transactions. The agency plays a vital role in combating money laundering, terror financing, financial fraud, and other illicit financial activities while supporting domestic and international enforcement agencies in maintaining the integrity of India's financial system.