Current Affairs - Awards and Honours

Manoj Mittal has been appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the Small Industries Development Bank of India (Sidbi) by the Government of India. He brings over 33 years of experience in the financial services sector, having previously served as the Managing Director of the Industrial Finance Corporation of India (IFCI) and as the Deputy Managing Director at Sidbi. Sidbi, established on April 2, 1990, is the Principal Financial Institution for promoting, financing, and developing the MSME sector in India.

Suhel Ajaz Khan, who is currently serving as the Indian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, has also been concurrently accredited as the Ambassador to Yemen. This dual role involves representing India's interests in Yemen from his base in Riyadh. Yemen is a sovereign state located in the southern Arabian Peninsula, bordering Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the Indian Ocean. This appointment highlights Khan's expanded diplomatic responsibilities in the region.

HS Dhaliwal, a 1997-batch IPS officer, was appointed as the new Director General of Police (DGP) of Andaman and Nicobar Islands on July 25, 2024. Prior to this appointment, he served as the special commissioner of police in New Delhi, overseeing traffic zone II. Dhaliwal is known for solving several high-profile cases, including the Dhaula Kuan gangrape and the murder case of Punjabi singer-turned-politician Sidhu Moosewala.

KV Subramanian has been appointed as the new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Federal Bank, with his term starting on September 23, 2024. Prior to this role, Subramanian was the Joint Managing Director of Kotak Mahindra Bank. Federal Bank, headquartered in Aluva, Kerala, is a prominent Indian private sector bank founded on April 23, 1931, by K. P. Hormis. His appointment marks a significant leadership transition for the bank.

Paytm Payments Bank has appointed Arun Kumar Bansal, a former executive at IDBI Bank, as its new Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) following approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Bansal replaces Surinder Chawla, who retired in June. His appointment is part of a broader restructuring at Paytm Payments Bank, which has seen several senior-level changes and the induction of new independent directors to its board. Bansal's experience and previous roles position him well to lead the bank into its next phase of growth.