Current Affairs - Awards and Honours

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.

Ravi Shankar was appointed as the Executive Director of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) with effect from 1st July 2026. Before his promotion, he served as the Adviser-In-Charge of the Department of Statistics and Information Management (DSIM). With over three decades of experience at the RBI, he has worked extensively in corporate and banking statistics, government securities, settlement systems, public debt management, and macroeconomic statistics. He has also contributed to several RBI committees and working groups focused on economic policy, financial sector analysis, statistical methodology, and data governance, making him a highly experienced central banker and statistician.

Sunil Bharti Mittal, Founder and Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, received the 2026 USISPF Leadership Award at the IX US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) Annual Leadership Summit held in Washington, D.C. He was recognised for his outstanding leadership in transforming India's telecommunications sector and strengthening economic and commercial ties between India and the United States. Under his leadership, Bharti Enterprises expanded into telecommunications, digital services, infrastructure, financial services, and other sectors. His efforts have promoted digital connectivity, innovation, international investment, and stronger business collaboration between India and North America.