Air Marshal Sandeep Singh AVSM VM assumes the Appointment of Vice Chief of the Air Staff

Air Marshal Sandeep Singh AVSM VM took over as Vice Chief of the Air Staff (VCAS) on 01 Oct 21.  An alumnus of National Defence Academy, the Air Marshal was commissioned in the flying branch of IAF in Dec 1983 as a Fighter pilot.  The Air Officer is an Experimental Test Pilot and a Qualified Flying Instructor.  He has rich and diverse experience in operational and experimental test flying on various types of fighter aircraft and has flown about 4400 hours.

During his nearly thirty eight years of service in the IAF, the Air Marshal has held numerous important command and staff appointments.  He has commanded Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment, a frontline air base and an operational fighter squadron.  He has held the appointments of Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Plans), Senior Air Staff Officer at HQ Eastern Air Command and Deputy Chief of the Air Staff at Air Headquarters.  Prior to assuming the current appointment, he held the appointment of AOC-in-C South Western Air Command.

The Air Marshal is a recipient of Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal.

Air Marshal BR Krishna assumed charge of Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman

Air Marshal BR Krishna assumed charge of Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC) on October 01,2021. The CISC paid homage to the brave hearts at the National War Memorial, in New Delhi followed by Tri-Service Guard of Honour. Commissioned as a fighter pilot in 1983, Air Marshal Krishna has had a distinguished career spanning over 38 years. Qualified Flying Instructor and experimental test pilot, he has flown a wide variety of fighters, transport aircraft, and helicopters in the inventory of Indian Air Force (IAF). He has over 5,000 hours of flying experience including operational, instructional and test flying. He is an alumnus of National Defence Academy, Defence Services Staff College and National Defence College.

Padma Awards 2020

Padma Awards - one of the highest civilian Awards of the country, are conferred in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. The Awards are given in various disciplines/ fields of activities, viz.- art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, etc. ‘Padma Vibhushan’ is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service; ‘Padma Bhushan’ for distinguished service of high order and ‘Padma Shri’ for distinguished service in any field. The awards are announced on the occasion of Republic Day every year.

These awards are conferred by the President of India at ceremonial functions which are held at Rashtrapati Bhawan usually around March/ April every year. This year the President has approved conferment of 141 Padma Awards including 4 duo cases (in a duo case, the Award is counted as one) as per list below. The list comprises of 7 Padma Vibhushan, 16 Padma Bhushan and 118 Padma Shri Awards. 33 of the awardees are women and the list also includes 18 persons from the category of Foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI and 12 Posthumous awardees.

Padma Awards 2020 - COMPLETE WINNERS LIST

List of ICC Award 2019 Winners

International Cricket Council(ICC) has declared the winner list of ICC award 2019. Best performer in field of Cricket has been chosen for the ICC award in various sections.

List of ICC Award winners:

Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for Best Cricketer of the Year – Ben Stokes (England)

Test Cricketer of the Year – Pat Cummins (Australia)

ODI Cricketer of the Year – Rohit Sharma (India)

T20I Performance of the Year – Deepak Chahar (India, 6-7 v Bangladesh)

Emerging Cricketer of the Year – Marnus Labuschagne (Australia)

Associate Cricketer of the Year – Kyle Coetzer (Scotland)

Spirit of Cricket Award – Virat Kohli stopping the fans booing Steve Smith at the Oval

David Shepherd Trophy for Umpire of the Year – Richard Illingworth

General Manoj Mukund Naravane takes charge as 28th Army Chief

General Manoj Mukund Naravane took charge as the 28th Chief of Army Staff as General Bipin Rawat retired after serving three years as the Army Chief. Before taking over as Chief of Army Staff, General Mukund Naravane was appointed as Vice-Chief of Army Staff on September 1. Prior to this, he was heading the Eastern Command of the Army which takes care of India's nearly 4,000-km border with China.

Malayalam poet Akkitham wins 55th Jnanpith Award

Eminent Malayalam poet Akkitham has been chosen for the 55th Jnanpith Award, according to an announcement by the Jnanpith Selection Board. Born in 1926, Akkitham Achuthan Namboothiri, popularly known as Akkitham is one of the most revered names in Malayalam poetry. Apart from poetry, his literary excellence has footprints in genre like drama, reminiscence, critical essays, children literature, short stories and translations. Some of his celebrated creations include Veeravadam, Balidarsanam, Nimisha Kshethram, Amrita Khatika, Akkitham Kavithaka, Epic of Twentieth Century and Antimahakalam

#Akkitham, #Jnanpith_Award

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly took over as the new president of BCCI

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly took over as the new president of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) at the apex body's Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Mumbai. Ganguly is likely to serve only 9 months as BCCI president as the "Cooling Off" period clause in the new BCCI constitution makes it mandatory for board officials to step down after 6 years in office. Ganguly, who played 113 Tests and 311 one-day internationals and led India to 21 Test wins, has already been an administrator for his home state association, Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB).