Current Affairs Updates: 2nd January 2014

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National Affairs
V Balakrishnan, the former chief financial officer (CFO) of Infosys has joined Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Balakrishnan, after his sudden exit from India’s second largest software services exporter Infosys as the board member and have moved in politics. In 1991, Balakrishnan had joined Infosys and later promoted as CFO of Infosys. It’s also being said that he was the top contender to the post of Chief Executive Officer (CEO). He has also served as the BPO head at Infosys and Chairman of a global management consultancy firm called Infosys Lodestone.
A career diplomat Hardeep Singh Puri, former UN envoy has now joined (BJP) Bhartiya Janta Party. Puri was recently got retirement as India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations. He will utilise his experience in the areas of security, foreign and policies based on trading. Puri, a 1974-batch Indian Foreign Service Officer, in his 39 years of service has also served in the Ministry of External Affairs and Defence and also took Ambassadorial assignments in London and Brasilia. He had also chaired Counter-Terrorism Committee of the Security Council.
India has cancelled Rs 3,600 crore worth deal with Anglo-Italian firm Agusta Westland for supply of 12 VVIP choppers to the Indian Air Force. The deal was cancelled taking into consideration the bribe charges of Rs 3600 crore that were paid in it. During the meeting between, A K Antony Indian Defence Minister and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the deal was cancelled. The decision to cancel the deal signed in 2010 was taken nearly a year after when the two top officials of the company had allegedly bribed to grab the contract. S P Tyagi, former IAF chief is one of the accused in the case. His case is being probed by CBI.
MLA Kanu Kalsaria, former BJP rebel and farmers’ movement leader has also officially joined Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as he was seen during the oath ceremony of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the Delhi Vidhan Sabha. A renowned and practicing doctor, Dr Kalsaria of Gujarat is the three-term BJP MLA and he had had led farmers’ movement against the Nirma Group which wanted to set up a major cement manufacturing plant in Bhavnagar district. It seems that Kejriwal’s new formed party may contest all 26 Lok Sabha seats of Gujarat in 2014 polls.

Appointment
P. Madhusudan, Director (Finance) of Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd (RINL) – Vizag Steel Plant has taken charge as RINL head. As the company’s CMD, Madhusudan has planned to increase RINL’s capacity to reach to 11-12 mtpa and become a “maharatna” of India. He holds the new post for the next five years and he had joined RINL way back four years ago in 2009. A.P Choudhury has retired from the post of CMD in RINL.
V. Kannan has assumed charge as Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Vijaya Bank. Kannan is presently an Executive Director at Oriental Bank of Commerce and has taken charge of his new role on January 1. Suresh N. Patel has also been appointed as Executive Director of Oriental Bank of Commerce by central government. Kannan will succeed H.S. Upendra Kamath who is former CMD of Vijaya Bank.
P K Saxena is the newly appointed full-fledged General Manager of South Western Railway (SWR). Earlier, Saxena was Principal Chief Engineer, Central Railway, Mumbai. An Indian Railway Service of Engineer (IRSE) of 1977 batch, Saxena has graduated in civil engineering from Rewa Engineering College in Madhya Pradesh.
S.K. Sharma is the newly appointed full-fledged Chairman and Managing Director (MD) of defence public sector Bharat Electronics Ltd. After graduating from the University College of Engineering, Bangalore, Sharma joined BEL in 1978. While in service, he completed his Masters in Business Administration (MBA).

Death
Ishrat Ali Siddiqui, a freedom fighter and experienced Urdu journalist has passed away. The Padma Shree awardee Siddiqui died in Lucknow when he was admitted to the hospital after he suffered a fracture ten days ago. Siddiqui, a former editor of national Urdu daily news paper ‘Qaumi Awaz’ was died at the age of 95.
 
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