Appointments - Current Affairs for November, 2017

Snehlata Shrivastava, a 1982-batch retired IAS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, was on Wednesday appointed the first woman Secretary General of the Lok Sabha. The appointment was made by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, an official release said. Shrivastava will replace Anoop Mishra, who is retiring on November 30. Shrivastava, a senior civil servant with 35 years of rich and varied administrative experience, will have the rank and status of Cabinet Secretary with effect from December 1. She has held several important positions in the Madhya Pradesh government as well as at the Centre. Shrivastava has served as Secretary in the Ministry of Law and Justice and also as Special/Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Finance. She has also held several senior positions in the Madhya Pradesh government, including as Principal Secretary in the ministries of Culture and Parliamentary Affairs.

Senior IAS officer Pradeep Singh Kharola has been appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Air India. Mr. Kharola, a Karnataka cadre officer, would replace Rajiv Bansal, who has been serving as the interim CMD for a little over three months. The appointment comes days after Mr. Bansal was given an extension for three months. Currently, Mr. Kharola is the Managing Director of Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. The change of guard at the helm of Air India also comes at a time when the government is in the process of finalizing the modalities of the strategic disinvestment of the national carrier.

The government has announced the 15th Finance Commission and it will be chaired by former parliamentarian and revenue and expenditure secretary N K Singh. Its tenure will be till October 30, 2019, by when it will have to give its final report on distributing divisible funds between the Centre and the states for a five-year period starting April 1, 2020. Earlier, the government appointed the former Planning Commission Member as head of the 15th Finance Commission. Other members of the commission, which is required to submit its report by October 2019, are former economic affairs secretary Shaktikanta Das, former chief economic advisor Ashok Lahiri, Niti Aayog Member Ramesh Chand and Georgetown University professor Anoop Singh. The commission will review the current status of the finance, deficit, debt levels, cash balances and fiscal discipline efforts of the Union and the states. It will also recommend a fiscal consolidation road map for sound fiscal management. As per Article 280 of the Constitution, the commission is required to make recommendations on the distribution of the net proceeds of taxes between the Centre and the states. The new Finance Commission will cover five-year period commencing April 1, 2020. The 14th Finance Commission was set up on January 2, 2013. Its recommendations cover the period from April 1, 2015 to March 31, 2020.

Former economic affairs secretary Shaktikanta Das was on 27th Nov, 2017 appointed India's sherpa till December 31, 2018, for the G20's Development Track. There are two tracks in G20 - the Finance Track and the Development Track. Finance Track is managed by the Secretary (Economic Affairs), Ministry of Finance, as India's Deputy to G-20 and the Development Track is coordinated by the sherpa. The Department of Economic Affairs will provide necessary support to the Sherpa.

India's nominee to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Dalveer Bhandari was on Monday re-elected to the fifth and the last seat of the world court after Britain withdrew its candidate from the election. Mr. Bhandari received 183-193 votes in the General Assembly and secured all the 15 votes in the Security Council after separate and simultaneous elections were held at the UN headquarters in New York. The elections were held after United Kingdom, in a dramatic turn of events, withdrew out of the race for the Hague-based ICJ, thus paving the way for Mr. Bhandari's re-election to the prestigious world court. Mr. Bhandari and Britain's Christopher Greenwood were locked in a neck-and-neck fight for re-election to the ICJ. The permanent members of the Security Council - USA, Russia, France and China - were understood to have been throwing their weight behind Mr. Greenwood. The UK is the fifth permanent member of the Security Council. Congratulating Justice Bhandari, the UK said it will continue to cooperate closely with India at the United Nations and globally. Britain's withdrawal from the election to the prestigious world court would mean that there will not be a British judge on the UN's most powerful court for the first time in its history.

RBI Governor Urjit Patel was appointed to Financial Stability Institute Advisory Board (FSAB) of the Bank of International Settlement (BIS). BIS is international financial organisation owned by 60 member central banks across world. Bank of International Settlement

• The Bank for International Settlements is an international financial institution owned by central banks which "fosters international monetary and financial cooperation and serves as a bank for central banks"
• Headquarters: Basel, Switzerland
• Founded: 17 May 1930
• CEO: Jaime Caruana (1 Apr 2009-)
• Membership: 60 central banks
• Purpose: Central bank cooperation
• Location: Basel, Switzerland

In a bid to facilitate smooth implementation of the ambitious Bharatmala project, the government has reconstituted the board of NHAI by inducting NITI Aayog CEO as a part time member. The decision comes barely a month after the government approved a mega plan to build 83,677 km of highways over the next five years at a cost of about Rs 7 lakh crore which includes the Bharatmala, one of the biggest highway projects. As per the notification, "Chief Executive Officer, NITI Aayog" has been inducted as a part time member in the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) Board in place of Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs. The Authority's other part-time members include Secretary, Department of Expenditure; Secretary, Road Transport and Highways; and Director General (Road). The official said reorganisation of the NHAI board was made as part of the Bharatmala programme. Bharatmala works have been proposed for completion in five years by 2021-22 through NHAI, NHIDCL, MoRTH and state PWDs. A Substantial delegation of powers has been provided to NHAI, NHIDCL and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) to facilitate speedy implementation.

The National Association of Software and Service Companies (Nasscom) on 10th Nov appointed Debjani Ghosh, former MD, Intel South Asia, as its President-Designate. Ghosh will be succeeding R Chandrashekhar whose tenure will come to an end in March. Ghosh has held other posts at Nasscom in the past. She has been a member of company's executive council and a trustee of Nasscom Foundation. To find the next President, the Nasscom President Succession Committee was set up by its chairman in March 2017, a Nasscom release said. The Indian IT-BPM industry has been a growth driver for the country and is today a $150 billion sector representing multiple sub-sectors. Moreover, the intersection of digital technologies across every business provides a great opportunity for the industry to achieve its aspiration to reach $350 billion by 2025. In March 2017, the NASSCOM President Succession Committee (NPSC) was constituted by the NASSCOM Chairman. The committee was chaired by N Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Tata Sons. The additional members of the committee were Neelam Dhawan, Managing Director, HP Enterprise; Rajendra Pawar, Chairman, NIIT; Rajan Anandan, Managing Director, Google India; Rishad Premji, Chief Strategy Officer, Wipro and Harish Mehta, Cofounder, NASSCOM and CMD, Onward Technologies (Convener).

Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu lawmaker in the U.S. Congress, has been named as the chairperson of the World Hindu Congress to be held in Chicago next year. Held once every four years, World Hindu Congress (WHC) is a global platform for Hindus to connect, share ideas, inspire one another and impact the common good. Organised by the World Hindu Foundation, the first Congress was held in New Delhi in 2014. The second WHC will take place in Illinois in Chicago from September 7 to 9 next year. The three-term Democratic Congresswoman from Hawaii, Gabbard is currently the co-chair of the House Congressional caucus. Abhaya Asthana, coordinator of WHC, said that the organising committee was looking for a recognised leader who is courageous, bold, principled, progressive, accomplished, articulate and above all a practising Hindu. Ms. Gabbard is an Iraq war veteran and a member of the powerful House Foreign Relations Committee. The inaugural WHC held in November 2014 had seen participation of 1,800 delegates from 53 countries.

Penny Mordaunt, a former minister in the work and pensions department and an outspoken supporter of Brexit has replaced Priti Patel as international development secretary, following the Indian-origin politician's high-profile resignation. Prime Minister Theresa May has been under pressure to replace Ms. Patel, Britain's first Indian-origin cabinet member and also a vocal member of the Leave campaign with another "Brexiteer", in a cabinet divided over the issue. The Prime Minister will be hoping that the appointment of Ms. Mordaunt will restore a degree of stability to her government, following last week's resignation of Defense Minister Michael Fallon and the continued pressure facing Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson over incorrect remarks made about a British-Iranian citizen to a parliamentary committee. Ms. Patel, the MP for the Essex constituency of Witham entered Parliament in 2010. Born in London, Ms. Patel was appointed diaspora champion for the British Indian community by former Prime Minister David Cameron as part of its effort to strengthen ties between the two countries, and to win over more of the British Gujarati and wider Indian community, which has traditionally voted Labour, to the Conservative Party. In March this year she was awarded the Pravasi Bharitiya Samman award.

Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia has been designated as the new Finance Secretary, an official order said on Nov 7, 2017. Adhia is a 1981 batch IAS officer of Gujarat cadre. The vacancy was caused following the superannuation of Ashok Lavasa last month. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved designating Adhia as the Finance Secretary, the order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training said. As per the convention, the senior most Secretary in the Finance Ministry is designated as the Finance Secretary. There are five departments under the Finance Ministry- Expenditure, Economic Affairs, Financial Services, Revenue and Department of Investment and Public Asset management (DIPAM). IAS officer Rajiv Kumar of 1984 batch is the Financial Services Secretary. Ajay Narayan Jha is Expenditure Secretary and Neeraj Kumar Gupta Secretary, DIPAM. Both are 1982 batch IAS officers. Subhash Chandra Garg, a 1983 batch IAS officer, is Economic Affairs Secretary.

Traders body CAIT's Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal has been nominated to be a part of the government's GST panel. The panel -- which has been constituted with approval of Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley -- includes other members like Araghya Sengupta (Research Director, Centre for Legal Policy), Vinod Jain (CA), Anuj Sahai (CEO of Federation of Indian Exporters Organisation) and Laghu Udyog Bharti President Om Prakash Mittal, CAIT said in a statement. Gautam Ray, retired chief commissioner of Central Board of Direct Taxes, has been named as the convenor. The group will discuss possible changes in GST law and its rules and will submit its recommendations to Law Review Committee by November 30. The first meeting of the group has been convened on November 8 to discuss in-depth the GST law and rules and amendments needed to make compliance easier.

US President Donald Trump nominated Jerome Powell to run the Federal Reserve once current Chair Janet Yellen's term expires. The move follows an extended period of speculation over who would be named to head the central bank, whose aggressive policies have been considered central to a climate of low interest rates and booming asset prices. Jerome Powell is the richest US Fed Reserve Chairman so far. Powell led a diverse field of potential nominees that included former Governor Kevin Warsh, Stanford economist John Taylor, chief Trump economic advisor Gary Cohn, and Yellen herself. Yellen is the briefest-serving Fed chair since G. William Miller served from 1978-79. Powell was named to fill an unexpired term in 2012 that won't end until 2028. He is viewed as a convenient choice, someone who likely will continue the programs of the Yellen Fed but allow Trump a chance to put his own stamp on the central bank. The Fed is in the midst of normalising the historically accommodative monetary policy it had begun to help pull the US from the throes of the financial crisis and the Great Recession. Under Yellen, the Fed has hiked interest rates four times and is expected to approve another increase in December. In addition, it is unwinding its $4.5 trillion balance sheet, which primarily consists of bonds the Fed purchased in an effort to drive down mortgage rates and push investors to risk assets like stocks and corporate bonds. Powell has been part of the Fed's voting consensus since taking his seat, not once veering from the majority's position.

Bharti AXA Life Insurance a joint venture between Bharti Enterprises and AXA announced the appointment of Vikas Seth as Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The appointment is subject to requisite Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) approval. Seth brings with him over 21 years of experience in diverse industries including life insurance, telecom and FMCG. Prior to joining Bharti AXA Life, Seth was with the Aditya Birla Group, where he worked for nearly 10 years in different roles. In one of his later assignments, he served as the Chief Distribution Officer for Birla Sun Life Insurance responsible for Agency Sales Force, Bancassurance, Corporate Agency and Broker channels. He began his career with the ESSAR Group followed by Amway, before moving to ICICI Prudential Life Insurance in 2001, where he began his career in the financial services sector. In his new role, Vikas will be responsible for managing the overall business, driving new partnership tie-ups as well as the growth roadmap of the organisation. He succeeds Sandeep Ghosh, CEO, Bharti AXA Life Insurance. In May this year, Bharti Enterprises had appointed Sam Ghosh as the managing director of its financial services business. Currently, the financial service units includes the insurance business namely - Bharti AXA Life Insurance company and Bharti AXA General Insurance company.

Vice Admiral Ajit Kumar P assumed charge as the Vice Chief of Naval Staff from Vice Admiral Karambir Singh, who proceeds to Visakhapatnam and is scheduled to take over as Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command on October 31,2017. Vice Admiral Ajit Kumar P is an alumni of the National Defence Academy. The Flag Officer was commissioned in the Indian Navy on 01 July1, 1981 and is a specialist in Missiles & Gunnery. The Flag Officer has had extensive operational tenures onboard frontline warships of the Indian Navy. He has had the distinction of having commanded six seagoing platforms which include the guided missile corvette Kulish (commissioning), the guided missile frigate Talwar, the guided missile destroyers Mumbai and Mysore. The officer has done the Naval Higher Command Course and is also an alumni of the Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island, USA. His important shore/ staff assignments include Director Maritime Warfare Centre, Visakhapatnam, Commanding Officer of INS Dronacharya, Kochi, Chief Staff Officer (Operations) of the Western Naval Command, Mumbai. He was promoted to Flag Rank in Sep 2009 and as a Rear Admiral, his assignments included Assistant Chief of Personnel (HRD) at Naval Headquarters, Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet (FOCEF) and Chief of Staff of Southern Naval Command. On promotion to the Rank of Vice Admiral on December 1, 2013; he was appointed as the Commandant of the Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala. Subsequently he has completed two joint service tenures as Principal Staff Officer at Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff, tenanting the billets of Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Operations) and Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Policy Planning & Force Development).