Persons in News
Maharashtra government approved a scheme to provide nutrition to pregnant and lactating women in the tribal areas of the state to curb malnutrition among tribal children. The decision to implement the scheme, named A. P. J. Abdul Kalam Amrut Yojna, would be implemented by anganwadis that fall under Women and Child Welfare Department in 16 districts having tribal population.
Under the scheme, the government has planned to provide ‘one full hot cooked nutritious food’ to every pregnant (in third trimester) and lactating mother (first three months post-delivery) in tribal areas of the state. The meal would be served at the anganwadi centre at flexi-time as per the convenience of the beneficiaries and include pulses, rice, fruits, vegetables and boiled eggs with occasional supply of milk.
The scheme aims to curb malnutrition among tribal children by providing nutrition to women for six months at when baby’s growth is at its peak. As per the estimate, over 1.8 lakh tribal women across Maharashtra are supposed to be covered under the scheme every year. The scheme will replace the ‘Take Home Ration’ scheme that provides packets of sheera or upma to expectant or lactating mothers. This will increase the proposed cost of the meal from 7.92 to 22 per beneficiary.
Senior diplomat and former high-profile spokesperson of the External Affairs Ministry Syed Akbaruddin has been appointed as India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, succeeding Asoke Mukerji.
A 1985 batch IFS officer, Mr Akbaruddin, currently serving as an Additional Secretary in MEA, is credited with bringing an effective mix of social and digital media into the External Publicity division.
As India’s Permanent Representative to the global body in New York, Mr Akbaruddin’s main task would be to push for India’s bid to gain permanent membership of the UN Security Council as well as to strongly advocate its position on key issues.
Mr Akbaruddin was Chief Coordinator of the recently-held India-Africa Summit, which saw participation of heads of state and government of 41 countries from the African continent. He had served at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Geneva and is considered an “expert” on the West Asia where he had served in various capacities.
Vikas Swarup, author of best-selling novel, Q&A, which formed the basis for Oscar-winning movie, Slumdog Millionaire, succeeds Mr Akbaruddin.
Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta resigned after thousands of people took to the streets to protest over a nightclub fire that killed 32 people. Demonstrators called for Mr Ponta to step down, complaining of government corruption and poor safety supervision.
In September, Mr Ponta became the first sitting Romanian prime minister to go on trial charged with corruption. He faces allegations of fraud, tax evasion and money laundering. He denies the charges and has accused prosecutors of being “totally unprofessional”.
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis nominated former European Commissioner Dacian Ciolos as the country’s new prime minister.
Subir Gokarn, former deputy governor (2009-12) of the Reserve Bank of India, has been appointed Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Mr Gokarn will represent the Indian constituency which comprises India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. He replaces Rakesh Mohan whose term ended on October 31.
As deputy governor of RBI, he oversaw monetary policy, research, financial markets, communications and deposit insurance, and represented RBI at the G20 Deputies’ forum. He is also a member of the expenditure management commission, headed by Bimal Jalan, former RBI governor.
From 2007 to 2009, Gokarn served as the chief economist of Standard & Poor’s Asia-Pacific. Prior to that, he was executive director and chief economist of CRISIL from 2002 to 2007 and chief economist at the National Council of Applied Economic Research, a Delhi-based think-tank from 2000-2002. Prior to the latest appointment, Mr Gokarn was director of research at the Brookings Institution India Center.
His appointment comes at time when emerging economies are strongly pushing for implementation of IMF’s 2010 quota reform, which aims to give emerging economies such as India a greater say in its functioning. The proposals have been delayed by the U.S., which holds a veto.
Vishva Hindu Parishad leader Ashok Singhal, who rose to prominence playing a leading role in the Ram Janambhoomi movement in the late 1980s and after, died, aged 89. A bachelor and a pracharak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) all his life, Singhal adopted an aggressive style in the ‘kar sewak’ campaign in the build-up to the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December 1992. A metallurgy engineering graduate from Banaras Hindu University, he pitchforked the organisation in the Ayodhya Ram temple movement and sought to internationalise it by recruiting supporters and organising branches worldwide. The overseas supporters contributed immensely to the VHP campaign.
Nitish Kumar was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Bihar for a fifth time. The two sons of RJD chief Lalu Prasad — Tejaswi and Tej Pratap —and 26 others were also sworn in.
Tejaswi Yadav, the younger son of Lalu Prasad, the leader of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), has been made Deputy Chief Minister. The elder son, Tej Pratap, was given charge of three important Ministries.
Saeed Jaffrey, veteran star of Bollywood and British cinema, died, aged 86.
In a career that spanned more than half a century, Jaffrey made almost 200 screen appearances, working with directors including Satyajit Ray, John Huston, James Ivory, David Lean, Richard Attenborough, and Stephen Frears. His co-stars include Sean Connery, Michael Caine and Pierce Brosnan.
He was probably best known to Western cinema audiences for his roles in Gandhi, The Man Who Would Be King, A Passage to India, and My Beautiful Launderette, but he also had a long and distinguished Bollywood career, notably in Raj Kapoor’s Ram Teri Ganga Maili and Indra Kumar’s Dil.
Jaffrey appeared regularly on the British small screen, his credits including Gangsters, The Jewel in the Crown, and Coronation Street.
Mr Jaffrey starred in acclaimed films like Satyajit Ray’s Shatranj ke Khiladi, for which he won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor and Sai Paranjpye’s Chashme Baddoor. He also had roles in several mainstream Hindi movies like Ram Lakhan, Khoon Bhari Maang and Naseeb.
Saeed Jaffrey was born in Malerkotla, Punjab and studied at Aligarh Muslim University, the Wynberg Allen School and Allahabad University. He started his career on stage, setting up a theatre company of his own in New Delhi. He later went to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art or RADA in London.
Saeed Jaffrey was the first Indian to receive the Order of the British Empire or OBE. He was married to actress-author Madhur Jaffrey, with whom he had three children. His daughter Sakina is a well-known actress. He and Madhur Jaffrey divorced in 1965 and he later married casting director Jennifer Sorrell in 1980, remaining married to her until his death.