APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS

Appointments and Resignations is tested heavily across exams: know who was appointed, to which position, and who they succeeded. Batch year and cadre details for IAS/IPS officers occasionally appear as distractors, so read appointment entries carefully.

Puja Garg Takes Charge as FLO's 43rd National President

• She succeeds Poonam Sharma and will serve through the 2026-27 term at the FICCI Ladies Organisation.
• Her priorities include strengthening women's entrepreneurship and industrial participation.
• FLO, established in 1983, remains one of Southeast Asia's oldest women-led business chambers.

About FLO: Women’s wing of FICCI • Established 1983 • HQ: New Delhi • 21 chapters; ~15,000 members nationwide.

IndiGo Names Willie Walsh as Incoming CEO

• Walsh, currently Director General of IATA, is expected to join the airline in August 2026.
• He brings prior leadership experience from British Airways, IAG, and Aer Lingus.
• He succeeds Pieter Elbers, who resigned in March 2026, with Rahul Bhatia leading in the interim.

Ashwini Bhide Becomes Mumbai's First Woman Municipal Commissioner

• The appointment marks a historic first in the 160-year history of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.
• Bhide previously served as Managing Director of Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation.
• She succeeds Bhushan Gagrani, who retired from government service.

Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth Takes Charge as Vice Chief of Army Staff

• He brings nearly four decades of service, including command of armoured and counter-insurgency formations.
• An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, he was commissioned into the Armoured Corps in 1986.
• His appointment continues the tradition of senior leadership drawn from combat-arms backgrounds.

POWERGRID Gets New Chairman and Managing Director

• Burra Vamsi Rama Mohan's appointment took effect from 1 April 2026 under Ministry of Power orders.
• His tenure is set to run through July 2030 or until further orders.
• The appointment continues leadership transitions across major central power-sector undertakings.

Vir Vikram Yadav Named DGCA Director General

• The 1996-batch IAS officer succeeds Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, who moves to the Department of Personnel and Training.
• Yadav previously served as Additional Secretary in the Environment Ministry.
• The DGCA regulates civil aviation safety and operations across India.

About DGCA: HQ: New Delhi • Statutory body under the Aircraft (Amendment) Act, 2020, regulating Indian civil aviation.

Min Aung Hlaing Elected Myanmar's President

• Myanmar's Pyidaungsu Hluttaw elected the former military chief as the country's 11th President.
• He secured a clear majority in a parliament dominated by military-backed representatives.
• Two Vice-Presidents were elected alongside him in the same session.

About Myanmar: Prime Minister: Nyo Saw • Capital: Naypyidaw • Currency: Myanmar Kyat.

SAIL Gets New Chairman, NMDC a New Finance Director

• Krishna Kumar Singh took additional charge as SAIL's Chairman and Managing Director, drawing on nearly four decades of steel-sector experience.
• Separately, Anurag Kapil assumed charge as Director (Finance) at NMDC, India's largest iron-ore producer.
• Both appointments reflect routine but consequential leadership transitions across public-sector steel enterprises.

About SAIL: Founded 19 January 1954 • HQ: New Delhi • One of India’s largest steel producers.

Chanchal Kumar Named Secretary, Information and Broadcasting Ministry

• The 1992-batch IAS officer takes over from Sanjay Jaju, who moves to the DoNER Ministry.
• Kumar previously held key postings in the Development of North Eastern Region and Civil Aviation ministries.
• The transition comes amid continuing digital and broadcasting-policy reforms.

Mongolia Gets a New Prime Minister Amid Political Churn

• Uchral Nyam-Osor's election makes him Mongolia's third Prime Minister within nine months.
• He secured over 80 percent support in the State Great Khural vote.
• The frequent leadership changes reflect ongoing political and economic instability in the country.

About Mongolia: President: Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh • Capital: Ulaanbaatar • Currency: Tögrög.

MobiKwik Gets NBFC Approval, Launches Dedicated Lending Arm

• RBI's approval allows the fintech firm to set up MobiKwik Financial Services as its lending subsidiary.
• The move lets MobiKwik expand beyond payments into regulated direct-lending business.
• It positions the company to compete more directly with established digital-lending platforms.

Shri Narendra Bhooshan Named Secretary, Department of Land Resources

• The 1992-batch IAS officer brings over three decades of administrative experience across central and state governments.
• He previously served as Additional Chief Secretary for Energy in Uttar Pradesh.
• His appointment falls under the Ministry of Rural Development.

Ministry of Rural Development — Cabinet Minister: Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

Nineteen New and Re-Elected Members Take Oath in Rajya Sabha

• Members representing Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Odisha were sworn in by the Chairman.
• The cohort included prominent political figures spanning multiple parties.
• The oath-taking refreshed roughly a sixth of the Upper House's membership.

Menaka Guruswamy Becomes India's First Openly Queer MP

• The senior advocate and constitutional-law expert took her Rajya Sabha oath representing West Bengal.
• Her election marks a milestone for LGBTQ+ representation in Indian politics.
• She was among the nineteen members sworn in during the same session.

Tejveer Singh Takes Charge at Chemicals and Petrochemicals Department

• The 1994-batch IAS officer succeeds Nivedita Shukla Verma as Secretary.
• He previously held senior administrative roles in the Punjab government, including Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister.
• The department oversees policy for India's chemicals and petrochemicals manufacturing sector.

Jindal Stainless Names Ranveer Singh as First Brand Ambassador

• The partnership aims to boost brand visibility for the stainless-steel manufacturer among consumer audiences.
• It marks the company's first foray into celebrity brand endorsement.
• The campaign highlights stainless steel's role in everyday infrastructure and consumer products.

Coforge Promotes Sunil Fernandes to Chief Operating Officer

• Fernandes will oversee global delivery operations while continuing to report to the CEO.
• His expanded remit includes driving AI-native practices across engineering and service delivery.
• The promotion reflects the IT firm's push to scale AI-driven client services.

To Lam Re-Elected President of Vietnam for a Fresh Five-Year Term

• The Communist Party General Secretary was unanimously re-elected by the National Assembly.
• Le Minh Hung, former central bank governor, was elected Prime Minister in the same session.
• The continuity in leadership underscores Vietnam's steady one-party governance structure.

About Vietnam: Prime Minister: Lê Minh Hưng • Capital: Hanoi • Currency: Vietnamese đồng.

Nasscom Foundation Appoints B. Pravin Rao as Chairperson

• The former Infosys COO succeeds Rostow Ravanan at the technology-sector philanthropic body.
• Rao brings over 35 years of experience across global technology operations.
• His appointment is expected to strengthen the foundation's skilling and social-impact initiatives.

BPCL Names Sanjay Khanna as New Chairman and Managing Director

• The appointment, cleared by the Cabinet Appointments Committee, keeps Khanna in office until May 2029.
• He previously served as Director (Refineries) at the Maharatna oil company.
• BPCL ranks among India's largest state-run oil-refining and marketing firms.

About BPCL: Maharatna PSU and Fortune Global 500 company • HQ: Mumbai • Founded: 24 January 1976.

Apple Confirms Leadership Transition as John Ternus Set to Become CEO

• Ternus, currently Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering, takes over from Tim Cook in September 2026.
• Cook will continue as Executive Chairman, focusing on policy engagement and long-term strategy.
• The transition marks one of the most closely watched leadership changes in the technology sector this year.

Justice Lisa Gill Appointed Chief Justice of Andhra Pradesh High Court

• She was transferred from the Punjab and Haryana High Court following the Centre's notification.
• The appointment followed the standard consultation process involving the Chief Justice of India.
• It brings fresh leadership to the Andhra Pradesh judiciary at a time of expanding case pendency.

WEF Names Ten Indians to Young Global Leaders Class of 2026

• Honourees include Jay Shah and Isha Ambani among a cohort of 118 leaders from 55 countries.
• The programme, running since 2004, identifies leaders under 40 across business, government, and social sectors.
• India's strong representation reflects its growing influence across global leadership networks.

HDFC Life Reappoints Vibha Padalkar for a Fresh Five-Year Term

• The board's decision extends her leadership as Managing Director and CEO from September 2026.
• Padalkar has overseen significant digital and product expansion at the insurer during her tenure.
• The reappointment signals continuity in the company's strategic direction.

NASSCOM Elects Srikanth Velamakanni as New Chairman

• The Fractal Analytics co-founder takes over from Sindhu Gangadharan for the 2026-27 term.
• His appointment reflects the industry body's growing focus on AI-led technology leadership.
• Kishor Patil of KPIT Technologies continues as Vice Chairperson of the Executive Council.

About NASSCOM: Formation 1 March 1988 • President: Rajesh Nambiar • Represents India’s technology and IT-services industry.

Cabinet Panel Extends Tenure of Senior Public-Sector Bank Officials

• Rajneesh Karnatak's tenure as Bank of India's MD and CEO was extended until 2029.
• Similar extensions were approved for senior leadership at Bank of Baroda and Indian Bank.
• The moves aim to provide leadership continuity as public-sector banks pursue growth strategies.

Sudarsan Pattnaik Named Brand Ambassador for Census 2027

• The renowned sand artist will use his creations to promote public awareness of the upcoming census.
• The Ministry of Home Affairs made the appointment ahead of the 16th National Census.
• The campaign aims to boost citizen participation in the nationwide enumeration exercise.

Ministry of Home Affairs — Cabinet Minister: Amit Shah.

Blanka Vlašić Named Ambassador for TCS World 10K Bengaluru

• The Croatian high-jump legend and double Olympic medallist will promote the World Athletics Gold Label race.
• The event, scheduled for April 2026, is among the world's premier 10-kilometre road races.
• Her appointment aims to raise the profile of the Bengaluru event on the global athletics calendar.

Several State Cadres See IAS Reshuffles Ahead of Election Season

• A number of states carried out administrative reshuffles as part of routine pre-election preparedness.
• Election Commission guidelines require certain postings to be rotated ahead of assembly polls.
• The reshuffles covered districts due to go to the polls later in the year.

⚡ QUICK REVISION — APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS

• Willie Walsh named incoming IndiGo CEO, succeeding Pieter Elbers
• Ashwini Bhide — Mumbai's first woman Municipal Commissioner in 160 years
• Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth takes charge as Vice Chief of Army Staff
• Menaka Guruswamy — India's first openly queer Rajya Sabha MP
• John Ternus to succeed Tim Cook as Apple CEO from September 2026
• BPCL's Sanjay Khanna to lead the company until 2029
• Min Aung Hlaing elected Myanmar's 11th President