Current Affairs - Awards and Honours

Saba Shawl was appointed as the Superintendent of Srinagar Central Jail in March 2026, becoming the first Kashmiri woman to hold this position in the history of the facility. Her appointment represents an important step toward greater gender representation in Jammu and Kashmir’s prison administration. Srinagar Central Jail is one of the oldest and most significant correctional institutions in the Union Territory, housing both undertrial prisoners and convicts. As a senior officer in the J&K Prison Department, Saba Shawl has previously served in several roles, gaining extensive experience in jail administration, inmate welfare, and security management.

The Ministry of Defence signed major defence procurement contracts worth ₹5,083 crore on March 3, 2026, aimed at strengthening India’s maritime security and air defence capabilities. The agreements included the purchase of six ALH Mk-III (Maritime Role) helicopters for the Indian Coast Guard and VL-Shtil surface-to-air missiles for the Indian Navy. These contracts were signed at South Block, New Delhi, in the presence of Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh. The ALH Mk-III deal with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited supports indigenous manufacturing under the “Buy (Indian-IDDM)” category, while the VL-Shtil missile agreement with Russia’s Rosoboronexport enhances the layered air defence system of Indian naval warships.

B.P. Singh took over as the Director General of Naval Armament (DGONA) at Naval Headquarters in New Delhi on March 1, 2026. A senior officer from the 1994 batch of the Indian Naval Armament Service, he succeeded Divakar Jayant following his retirement. With over three decades of experience in naval armament management, procurement, logistics, and guided weapon systems, he has held key positions at multiple Naval Armament Depots and at Naval Headquarters. An alumnus of the National Defence College, he brings strategic and operational expertise to strengthen India’s naval weapon systems management and maritime defence preparedness.

The Government of India appointed Praveen M. Khanooja to hold additional charge as Chairman & Managing Director of Engineers India Limited (EIL) beginning March 1, 2026. The appointment, approved by the Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas, is for three months or until a regular CMD assumes office. A 1994-batch officer of the Indian Audit & Accounts Service, he continues serving as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas while handling CMD responsibilities. His extensive experience spans defence audit, railways audit, central government finance, and leadership roles in key petroleum and economic intelligence institutions.

Nidhi Chhibber has taken additional charge as the Chief Executive Officer of NITI Aayog following the completion of BVR Subrahmanyam’s three-year term in February 2026. A 1994-batch IAS officer of the Chhattisgarh cadre, she currently serves as Director General of the Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO) under NITI Aayog. She has also previously held the position of Chairperson of the Central Board of Secondary Education. Her extensive experience in policy monitoring, evaluation, and education sector reforms positions her to strengthen data-driven governance and performance assessment within India’s premier policy think tank.