Current Affairs - Awards and Honours

The Bukhman International Booker Prize is the new name of the International Booker Prize following a decade-long funding commitment by Bukhman Philanthropies. Along with the renaming, the winner's prize money was doubled from £50,000 to £100,000, while each shortlisted title now receives £5,000. The award continues to recognise the collaborative efforts of authors and translators by sharing the prize equally between them. The first winner under the new name will be announced in May 2027, and the prize remains dedicated to fiction translated into English and published in the United Kingdom or Ireland.

Rajiv Kumar was appointed as the Part-time Chairman and Additional Independent Director of HDFC Bank on June 30, 2026, for a three-year term, subject to approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). A former Finance Secretary of India, he played a key role in the consolidation of 10 Public Sector Banks into four entities and later served as the Chief Election Commissioner during the 2024 General Election. He succeeded Atanu Chakraborty after the interim tenure of Keki Mistry. His appointment reflects HDFC Bank's focus on experienced leadership and strong corporate governance.

Mayilsamy Annadurai was appointed as the Chairman of the Tamil Nadu Curriculum Design Committee by the School Education Department on June 30, 2026. He replaced Sultan Ahmed Ismail (Retd.), who resigned from the position, and will lead the existing 16-member panel while the remaining members continue in their roles. A distinguished ISRO scientist, Annadurai served as the Project Director of Chandrayaan-1 and played key leadership roles in Chandrayaan-2 and the Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan). His appointment is expected to strengthen curriculum development by bringing scientific expertise and innovation to school education.

Lokhande Prashant Sitaram, an IAS officer, was appointed as the Chairperson of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on July 3, 2026. Before assuming this role, he served as the Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, a position he held from April 1, 2026. CBSE is a premier national-level education board functioning under the Ministry of Education, Government of India. It is responsible for conducting the Class 10 (AISSE) and Class 12 (AISSCE) examinations and oversees thousands of affiliated public and private schools across the country.

Anupam Misra assumed charge as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Hindustan Copper Limited (HCL) on July 1, 2026. Before this appointment, he served as Director (Marketing) at Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore Limited (FACT) from July 2020 to June 2026 and also held the additional charge of CMD of FACT. Hindustan Copper Limited, functioning under the Ministry of Mines, is a Miniratna Category-I Central Public Sector Enterprise headquartered in Kolkata. It is India's only vertically integrated copper producer, carrying out activities from mining and beneficiation to smelting, refining, and manufacturing copper products.