Personality of the Day

26 July, 2017

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WANG YI, Foreign Minister of China
Yi is the Minister of Foreign Affairs of PRC (People's Republic of China), appointed in 2013 after he was approved by the CongressIn the India - China Dokalam standoff, he is so far the highest official to speak directly.
He came in news recently when he said - “India should conscientiously withdraw its troops". Wang’s comments were posted in Mandarin on the Chinese language website of China’s Foreign Ministry, and not on the English language website (making it useless for the larger world) which maybe to cater to the local sentiments only.
Wang became the highest ranking official of China to make such comments (till date)
In a separate mention, he has warned “non-regional forces to stay away from South China Sea” – an obvious reference to US Naval forces patrolling the region
Born 8 October 1953, he has been a career diplomat and politician
Earlier posts held : China's Vice Foreign Minister, Ambassador to Japan, Director of the Taiwan Affairs Office
Wang initiated a visit to the Middle East in December 2013 to visit Israel and the Palestinian National Authority PLA), and pushed the idea of peace not war.
In June 2014, during the China-Arab summit in Beijing, Foreign Minister Wang met his Somali counterpart Abdirahman Duale Beyle to discuss bilateral cooperation between China and Somalia
At a press meet in Ottawa in June 2016, Wang responded bitterly to a reporter when questioned about human rights in China. This is typical of top political bosses in China.
India's transparent democratic system forces politicians to remain open to the most pointed queries from media, though different leaders evolve their own methods of dodging the press bullets :)

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27 July, 2017

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NITISH KUMAR, Chief Minister of Bihar, Janata Dal (United) party [Born 1 March 1951 (age 66)]
Born at Bakhtiarpur in Bihar, India. Commonly known as Sushasan Babu (Mr. Good Governance), Vikash Purush (Development Man) and Mr. Clean due to his turning around the state of Bihar in late 2000s
He belongs to the socialist cadre of Indian politcs and was groomed under giants like Jayaprakash Narayan (JP), Ram Manohar Lohia, S. N. Sinha, Karpuri Thakur and V. P. Singh (Mandal Commission fame). He was part of the JP Movement between 1974 to 1977, in the era of Emergency
As of now, Nitish Kumar is serving his 6th term in the office (previous terms as CM, Bihar - 2005 to 2014, 2015 to July 26, 2017)
The cumulative growth rate of GDP of Bihar during his tenure as CM is highest as compared to other states
His achievements have earned him respect across Bihar - socialist policies like (a) appointing more than 1 lac school teachers, (b) ensuring that doctors worked in primary health centers, (c) paving of roads, (d) cutting female illiteracy by 50%, (e) electrification of villages, (f) cracking down on criminals and (g) doubling the income of the average Bihari citizen
For the 2019 elections, many proposed him for Prime minister post in India though he remained detached; now in the new political equation, he is aligned with the BJP so it is ruled out
Dramatic developments : He abruptly resigned from CM's post on 26 July 2017 over basic differences with the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Coalition) Partner RJD due to naming of Tejaswi Yadav, the deputy CM, in an FIR by the CBI. He joined the NDA coalition immediately, securing a majority in the Assembly again, taking the Chief Ministership and appointing BJP's Sushil Modi the CM
Central stints : Nitish Kumar has served at the Centre also - (a) Union Minister for Railways and Minister for Surface Transport and (b) Minister for Agriculture in 1998–99, in the NDA Government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee (He brought in reforms like internet ticket booking facility in 2002), (c) Union Cabinet Minister for Agriculture 1999, (d) 2001 to May 2004, was the Union Minister for Railways

28 July, 2017

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NAWAZ SHARIF [ex PM of Pakistan, born 25 December 1949 in Lahore]
An established Pakistani politician and businessman
Son of founder of Ittefaq and Sharif Group - Muhammad Sharif, and elder-brother of three-time elected Punjab Chief Minister, Shehbaz Sharif
Served as Prime Minister from (1) 1990 to 1993, (2) 1997 to 1999 and (3) 2013 to 28th July 2017. Also the Chief Minister of Punjab province, Pakistan (1985 to 1990)
Owner of The Sharif Group of companies - established in 1939 by his father Mian Muhammad Sharif (late). Sharif Group has a net value of US $300 million approx; Also own substantial real estate and agricultural holdings
Appointed by General Zia-ul-Haq's regime as the Minister of Finance for the Punjab. Later in 1990, Sharif became PM by leading a conservative alliance to victory, and facing charges that the election was rigged in by the Pakistani ISI
First term ends : President Ghulam dismissed Sharif on corruption charges; Sharif fought back in Supreme Court, won, but ultimately left
Second term ends : Tussles with the judiciary and the military; He forcibly relieved General Karamat from command and brought in General Parvez Musharraf in 1998
Kargil War 1999 : General Musharraf ousted him after 12 October 1999, when he tried to oust Musharraf! Exiled to Saudi Arabia
Third term ends : Sharif's Muslim League formed a coalition government in 2013. Offensive launched against extremist groups in northwestern Pakistan. Lot of positive economic movement, but rising sovereign debt due to Chinese involvement and the CPEC made it controversial. The Panama Papers leak brought the matter to Supreme Court, which found him guilty of misdemeanours, and disqualified him on 28 July, 2017 for 10 years. That may practically end it for ever, and he resigned.
Panama Papers leak : Documents leaked in 2016 from law firm Mossack Fonseca showed the Sharif family holding property and companies in the UK, and around the world. His name doesn't figure directly, but the in-laws of his brother Shehbaz Sharif + his own children are linked
The Economist wrote in January 2017 : Pakistan's infrastructure (on which a lot was spent) is underused because the economic boom it was meant to trigger did not happen. Regarding the CPEC - there are fears the country will struggle to pay back the debt, and that "It may not concern Mr. Sharif unduly if the next generation of roads is as deserted as the last."

29 July, 2017

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JEFFREY PRESTON BEZOS [American Technology and retail entrepreneur and investor, Born 12 Jan, 1964]
Princeton University graduate; noted entrepreneur in technology and retail fields; Philanthropist
Best known as founder, chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of Amazon.com, which has become the world's largest online shopping retailer
Story of Amazon : Began as an Internet merchant of books and quickly expanded to all possible products and services; now also into video streaming and audio streaming
Amazon.com is the world's largest Internet sales company on the WWW. Its 2015 revenue was $ 136 billion.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a huge cloud platform that renders all possible services to individuals and corporates, and is "infinitely scaleable"; It has become the world's largest provider of cloud infrastructure services
Other interests : Aerospace and newspapers
Founder and manufacturer of Blue Origin (founded in 2000) - test flights to space started in 2015, and plans for commercial suborbital human spaceflight beginning 2018
Owner of The Washington Post newspaper since 2013
Bezos Expeditions is the investment firm that manages many other interests
On July 27, 2017, Bezos for a short time became the world's richest person, surpassing Bill Gates with a net worth of just over $90 billion
Interesting facts : (1) Bezos founded Amazon.com in 1994 after making a cross-country drive from New York to Seattle, and set up the company in his garage, leaving his well-paying job; (2) known for his attention to business details; (3) named World's Worst Boss by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), in May 2014 stating that "Jeff Bezos represents the inhumanity of employers who are promoting the North American corporate model..."; (4) NYT said : the Amazon working experience is a grueling and inhumane experience, with many employees regularly being terminated or quitting.

31 July, 2017

http://civils.pteducation.com/p/personalities.html

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NICOLAS MADURO MOROS [President of Venezuela, former bus driver, Born 23 November 1962]
Maduro is a Venezuelan politician and President since 2013, when he served under President Hugo Chávez as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2006 to 2013, and as Vice President of from 2012 to 2013. His party is the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, a believer in socialism and communism
The death by cancer of Chavez (5 March 2013) brought the protege Maduros onto the hot seat, and just then, the oil price slump began
Many claim that Maduro is a brutal dictator and "mass murderer"
From a bus driver, Maduro rose to become a trade union leader, and was elected to the National Assembly in 2000. He was liked by Chavez as the most capable administrator and politician of the inner circle.
After Chávez's death, an election was held on 14 April 2013 to elect a new president, and Nicolas Maduro won with 50.62% of the votes
Since November 2013, Maduro has ruled Venezuela by decree since 19 November 2013. The socialist economic policies of Chavez were well-funded in the days of high oil-prices, but sustained decrease in global oil prices created a difficult period, and the big budget doles could no longer be sustained
Since a genuine market economy did not develop in Chavez's time, the hard times brought huge scarcity of the basic necessities of life, leading to mass resentment in public and unrest across the nation, repressed through armed means by the Government
In May 2016, opposition leaders in Venezuela handed in a petition to the National Electoral Council (CNE) calling for a recall referendum with an aim to remove Maduro from his Post. Later, the Venezuelan intelligence service detained five opposition activists involved with the recall referendum
Opposition leaders pushed for the recall to be held before the end of 2016, allowing a new presidential election. But the government vowed a recall would not occur until 2017, ensuring the current vice president would potentially come to power
The Maduro government has accused the United States of attempting to overthrow him. When the United States ordered sanctions to be placed on seven Venezuelan officials for alleged human rights violations, Maduro used anti-US rhetoric to bump up his approval ratings
On 29 March 2017, the Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ) took over legislative powers of the National Assembly. This tribunal is composed of Maduro's supporters! This was called a virtual "coup", and condemned by media as a march to authoritarianism
Leaders from the United Nations also expressed concern with the decision and demanded reversal. On 1 April 2017, the TSJ reversed its decision, thereby reinstating the powers of the National Assembly. Public dissatisfaction persisted, with the strengthening of the protests that year "into the most combative since a wave of unrest in 2014" resulting from the crisis
On 1 May 2017, after a violent phase in which 29 died, Maduro made a call for a Constitutional Assembly to draft a new constitution to replace the 1999 Venezuela Constitution. He invoked Article 347 to do so
On 20 June 2017, President of the National Assembly announced the activations of Articles 333 and 350 of the Venezuelan Constitution, to prevent Maduro from toppling the existing constitution
Marco Rubio, U.S. Senator from Florida, made a public statement on Twitter saying : "Venezuela now officially a dictatorship after Supreme Court assumes powers of opposition-controlled congress"

01 August, 2017

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AJIT KUMAR DOVAL [NSA of India, Famed spy, Retd. IPS Keral cadre, Born 20 Jan, 1945]
Ajit Doval is a former police officer and a former Indian intelligence & law enforcement officer, with the exceptional credential of being involved in the termination of all 15 hijackings of Indian Airlines aircraft from 1971–1999. Doval was one of three negotiators who negotiated passenger release from IC-814 in Kandahar (Afghanistan) in 1999
Credited for the doctrinal shift in Indian security policy in relation to Pakistan from 'Defensive' to 'Defensive Offensive'
Born in 1945 in Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand into a family of serving Indian Army officer. Education at the Ajmer Military School, Rajasthan and graduated with a master's degree in economics
On 30 May 2014, Doval was appointed the (fifth) National Security Adviser of India. He works in close association with the Prime Minister himself
Became an IPS officer in 1968 in the Kerala cadre, and became actively involved in anti-insurgency operations in Mizoram and Punjab thereafter. Was the youngest police officer ever to get the President's Police Medal for meritorious service after 6 yrs of service (as against a norm of 17 yrs)
In 1988, Ajit Doval was awarded the Kirti Chakra - one of the highest gallantry awards - and became the first police officer to receive a medal given only as a military honour otherwise
Served as the Director of the Intelligence Bureau (2004–05) after spending a decade as the head of its operations wing; Was founder Chairman of the Multi Agency Centre (MAC), as well as of the Joint Task Force on Intelligence (JTFI)
Ensured the rescue of Romanian diplomat Liviu Radu in Punjab. Also, was present inside the Golden Temple Amritsar before Operation Black Thunder II (1988) to collect critical information
During the Mizo National Front (MNF) insurgency, Doval won over six of Laldenga's seven commanders, living incognito with the Mizo National Army in the Arakan in Burma and inside Chinese territory.
It is also claimed that from Mizoram, Doval went to Sikkim where he played a role during the merger of the state with India
Spent six years in Indian High Commission in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Went to Kashmir in 1990 and persuaded militants like Kuka Parray to become counter-insurgents targeting hardline anti-India terrorists, ensuring democratic elections in 1996
Retired in January 2005 as Director, Intelligence Bureau. Later, in 2009, founded the Vivekananda International Foundation, a think tank set up by the Vivekananda Kendra, a Spiritually Oriented Organisation
Doval flew on a top secret mission to Iraq on 25 June 2014 to try and resuce Indian nurses caught in the crossfire when ISIS took over Mosul region. ISIS militants handed the nurses to authorities at Erbil city and two specially arranged planes by Indian Government brought them back home to Kochi
The Army's operation against Indian militants operating out of Myanmar was another success story. It is reported that he worked in close association with the Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag and a successful mission resulted with 50 militant casualties
The "surgical strikes" against Pakistan in September 2016 are also credited to him, and reportedly a significant number of terrorists were neutralised

02 August, 2017

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ARVIND PANAGARIYA [Indian-American economist & professor, Vice-Chairman NITI Aayog, Born September 30, 1952]
Originally from Rajasthan, he holds a Ph.D in economics from Princeton University
A renowned Indian-American economist who is also the Jagdish Bhagwati Professor of Indian Political Economy at Columbia University
The love of mainstream academia (and lack of leave extension from the University) forced him to resign from the influential post of Vice-Chairman NITI Aayog, for which he was hand-picked by PM Narendra Modi
From January 2015, he led the NITI Aayog, a newborn baby which replaced the Planning Commission of India, and created the first templates of its work and approach. Also simultaneously heading the analysis of data of the Socio Economic and Caste Census 2011 (SECC 2011)
Education and Economy : Worked as the Chief Economist at the ADB (Asian Development Bank) earlier; Served as a professor of economics and co-director, Center for International Economics, University of Maryland at College Park.
Is a protege of prominent economist Prof. Jagdish Bhagwati
Global experience : Multiple and successful roles across the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organization, and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) made him an ideal choice for the NITI Aayog top position
A prolific writer : Has written or edited 15 books, including the recent one "India: The Emerging Giant" (March 2008). Noted TV personality Fareed Zakaria said it was "the definitive book on the Indian economy". His mentor Prof. Bhagwati called it ‘a tour de horizon and a tour de force’. The Economist magazine described "Why Growth Matters" (with Jagdish Bhagwati) as “a manifesto for policymakers and analysts". He also edited the India Policy Forum, a journal modeled on the Brookings Papers on Economic Activity and jointly published by the Brookings Institution, Washington, DC and the National Council on Applied Economic Research, New Delhi.
Praising and documenting Modi's initiatives : In newspaper articles, he wrote that "In his Independence Day speech on August 15, 2014, the prime minister announced the closure of the archaic institution of the Planning Commission and launched the "Make in India" campaign to focus attention on manufacturing. Less than two months later, on October 2, he went on to launch the important Swachh Bharat campaign with the aim of freeing the country of dirt and open defecation by October 2, 2019, the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Partially aided by the softening of the global commodity markets, including those for food and crude oil, India also saw a significant break in inflation."
Resignation : News broke in the first week of August that he has resigned from NITI Aayog as Columbia University has not extended his leave beyond August 31 2017
Publishing : Professor Panagariya’s scientific papers have appeared in the top economics journals such as the American Economic Review and the Quarterly Journal of Economics while his policy papers have appeared in the Foreign Affairs and Foreign Policy
Honours : In March 2012, the Government of India honoured Panagariya with Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian honour
A supporter of Modi : He wrote earlier that 'Gujarat also deserves applause for the large cuts in poverty among the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Muslims. At 7.7 per cent, Gujarat boasts the lowest poverty ratio for Muslims in rural areas. The state also counts among the seven states with lower poverty ratio for Muslims than Hindus in rural and urban areas combined.' He praised Modi saying he has brought unprecedented vigour to the PM office.
Jobs, jobs, jobs : Prof. Panagariya warned that India needed millions of good jobs and they will not be forthcoming without the country replacing China as the manufacturing workshop of the world, especially in the labour-intensive products. And this requires entrepreneur-friendly reforms in areas of labour, land, higher education and infrastructure. The nation will be looking for an outline of precisely these reforms in the forthcoming Budgets.
Formal sector? He recently said that the basic definition of formal sector workers is confusing, and there is need for standardising and broad-basing the same. If that were to happen, the new jobs created number would look dramatically different.

03 August, 2017

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URJIT RAVINDRA PATEL [Governor of RBI, Economist (Born 28 Oct. 1963 in Kenya (age 53)]
Inflation warrior : Urjit Patel, an Indian economist with a vast corporate experience including the post of President (Business Development) Reliance Industries, is presently the 24th Governor of Reserve Bank of India (RBI). He is a known hawk when it comes to battling inflation.
Foreign connection : His father Shri Ravindra and his mother Mrs Manjula ran a chemical factory named Rexo Products in Nairobi
Policy experience : Governor of RBI since September 5, 2016; Deputy Governor from January 7, 2013 to September 5, 2016; Chief Policy Officer at IDFC Limited; Overall experience of over 17 years in financial, energy and infrastructure sectors; Consultant to the Ministry of Power, Department of Economic Affairs, New Delhi from 1998 to 2001; Was at IMF India desk during the 1991–94 transition period; Was posted to IMF country mission in India 1992–95
Read about all RBI Governors on our Static Compilation page
Government exposure : Between 2000 and 2004, worked with several High Level Committees at both Central and State Government level, including Competition Commission, Task Force on Direct Taxes, Prime Minister’s Task Force on Infrastructure, Group of Ministers on Telecom Matters, Advisory Committee on Research Projects and Market Studies, Committee on Civil Aviation Reforms, Expert Group on State Electricity Boards and High Level Expert Group on Civil & Defence Services Pension System
Global experience : Served at International Monetary Fund. Higher education - Alma mater - London School of Economics (Bsc), Oxford University (M. Phil.) in 1986, Yale University (PhD) in 1990
RBI Governor : Patel succeeded Raghuram Rajan as RBI governor on 4 September 2016, and was appointed by the Modi government. From deputation from the IMF he went on to the Reserve Bank of India, and played an advisory role in the development of the debt market, banking sector reforms, pension fund reforms, targeting of real exchange rate (prior to 1998). On 11 January 2013, Patel was appointed the Deputy Governor of RBI, handling the vital Monetary Policy Department, succeeding Subir Gokarn. He looked after monetary policy, economic policy research, statistics and information management, deposit insurance, communication etc.
In the hot seat : Was unable to produce the final figures of the demonetisation exercise till July 2017 despite twice being questioned by the Parliamentary Committee. Critics say he was also not fully aware (prior) of any such major move by the government. Read all about demonetisation here
Monetary Policy Committee : Has participated in some rounds of the MPC reviews, the latest being in August first week, reducing the policy rate (Repo) by 25 basis points.
Urjit Patel Committee : Was Chairman of the "RBI Expert Committee to Revise and Strengthen the Monetary Policy Framework", 2014, which ultimately moved the RBI away from using WPI to using Consumer Price Index CPI as a key anchor for monetary policy formation. Download that report

04 August, 2017

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MASOOD AZHAR [Pakistani terrorist, 'founder' of Jaish-e-Mohammad, Born 10 July 1968 (age 49) Punjab, Pakistan]
One of ten siblings, and son of a Teacher. Father Allah Bakhsh Shabbir was the headmaster at a government-run school, and family operated a dairy and poultry farm
Organisations : Owes allegiance to organisations like Harkat-ul-Ansar, Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, Jaish-e-Mohammad - all of them involved in violent terror operations. He works from the Pakistan occupied Kashmire region mostly.
JeM : Jaish-e-Mohammed has carried out a string of deadly attacks against India, including (a) the attack on the Indian parliament - December 2001 that brought India and Pakistan to the brink of a full-scale war, (b) 2008 Mumbai attacks - was perhaps among many arrested by Pakistan after a military raid on a camp located on the outskirts of Muzaffarabad, but was seen free in 2014 again, and (c) 2016 Pathankot attack - on an Indian air base was masterminded by Masood Azhar and his brother, who were in direct touch with attacking terrorists.
Pakistan's ISI : The primary one Jaish-e-Mohammed (literally "The Army of Muhammad") was allegedly created by the overt support of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), by working with several Deobandi terrorists associated with Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM). JeM is a Deobandi jihadist group active in Kashmir, with a public mission of "destroying India," and liberating the Kashmir region from Indian rule
Arrested by India : In 1994, Azhar traveled to Srinagar to ease tensions between Harkat-ul-Ansar's feuding factions of Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami and Harkat-ul-Mujahideen; he was arrested and imprisoned
Tourists kidnapping case : In 1995, foreign tourists were kidnapped in Jammu and Kashmir, and the primary demand of kidnappers was the release of Masood Azhar. A hostage escaped but the rest were killed
IC 814 hijacking and escape : In December 1999, was freed by the Indian government in exchange for passengers on the hijacked Indian Airlines Flight 814 (IC814) that landed in Kandahar, Afghanistan (under the Taliban's control). Hijackers' leader was Masood's brother - Ibrahim Athar
Released, for future mayhem : Masood Azhar was handed over to the hijackers and they all fled to Pakistani territory Read more on Terrorism here
American sanction : America has prohibited Americans from "engaging in any transactions" with Al Rehmat Trust, which is "an operational front" for Jaish-e Mohammed
China's support for a devil : The Chinese government has repeatedly blocked the UN Security Council Sanctions Committee listing of Azhar as a terrorist, thwarting international efforts to disrupt the activities of his group. China moved to protect Azhar again in October 2016, February 2017 and in August 2017 when it blocked India's appeal to the United Nations to label him as a terrorist Read many updates on terror, here

07 August, 2017

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M VENKAIAH NAIDU Garu [Lifelong BJP loyalist, RSS swayamsewak, Hindi lover, 13th Vice President of India, Born July 01, 1949 (Age 68)]
High acumen, high delivery : Naidu has been a political leader of high acumen all through his career, which began as a student leader in 1973–74 when he was elected the President, Students Union, Andhra University
RSS and ABVP : Was a dedicated RSS swayamsewak (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) and joined ABVP during his college days
Oratory full of wit and shine : A brilliant orator, never short of wit, humour and remarkable similes, his political career's rise and diversity has been a reflection of his depth and mature understanding of issues
Nellore, AP, Politics, Law : He hails from the Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh, and did his bachelor's degree in politics and diplomatic studies and then law (specialisation in international law) from Visakhapatnam
A long career in politics : It includes positions like President, Students Union (1973), President Youth Wing Janata Party (1977-80), MLA from AP, President AP BJP, Rajya Sabha Member BJP, National President BJP (2002 - 2004), Urban Development Minister, and Vice President of India
MLA and MP : Elected MLA to the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly twice from Udayagiri constituency (Nellore) in 1978 & 1983; Later went to Rajya Sabha from Karnataka
Hindi love : Naidu's love for Hindi is well-known, and his tremendous effort to use Hindi and popularise it, is appreciated by all (though disliked by some!)
Farmers' champion : A champion of the cause of the farmers and the development of backward areas, something he reminded everyone of upon election to the Vice President's post
Andhra Pradesh' leading BJP figure : One of the most popular leaders of the BJP in Andhra Pradesh. Played a major role in the Jai Andhra Movement of 1972
Anti-emergency stand : Became part of the 1974 anti-corruption movement, and became convener of the Jayaprakash Narayan Chhatra Sangharsh Samiti of Andhra Pradesh. Protested the emergency of Indira Gandhi regime, was imprisoned
BJP's National President and Shining India : Became National President of the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2003, but the defeat of the BJP in 2004 elections (the Shining India campaign disaster) led to his resignation, though he remained senior Vice President for a long time after that. Was succeeded by L.K. Advani
Long stint at the Centre : As part of a long career at the Centre, he was Union Cabinet Minister for Rural Development in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government from 1999. He kept pushing reforms, and was key in introducing the hugely successful 'Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana'
Urban Development : His stint at the Centre continued after the victory of the BJP in the 2014, and he became the Minister for Urban Development and Parliamentary Affairs on 26 May 2014. Later, he served as the Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, Urban Development and Information and Broadcasting
Trust in the good : Naidu founded the Swarna Bharath Trust, Nellore - a social service organization that runs a school for poor, orphaned and special-needs children
Vice President : His career's pinnacle came when he was nominated by BJP as VP candidate, an election that he won rather easily (516 votes against Gopala Krishna Gandhi's 244). He will succeed Shri Mohammad Hamid Ansari, and work under the Presidentship of Shri Ram Nath Kovind, also a BJP person.
Top 3 posts : The BJP now has control over all the top three posts of India - the President, Vice-President, and the Prime Minister.

08 August, 2017 - Emmanuel Macron

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EMMANUEL JEAN-MICHEL MACRON [Founder of En Marche!, a centrist political movement; Ex-civil servant, Investment Banker, President of France (Born 21 December 1977, Age 40 yrs)]
Youngest ever President : Macron is the youngest ever President of France, elected (at 39) in the middle of a right-wing wave that seemed set to sweep the continental European politics, and which his victory ended up emasculating. He is also the youngest French head of state since Napoleon, and the first president of France born after the establishment of the Fifth Republic in 1958
Ex senior civil servant and investment banker in private corporate sector
The "Macron Law" : His signature law package eventually pushed through parliament using the 49.3 procedure; Based on the "Law on Growth and Purchasing Power" with the aim to "restore 6 billion euros of purchasing power" to the French public; The law was to rejuvenate the French economy by fixing regulations based around Sunday work, transport and driving licenses, public sector jobs and the transport market; Law adopted on 10 April, 2015
A positive boost? The OECD estimated that the Macron Law would generate a "0.3% increase in GDP over five-years and a 0.4% increase over 10-years"
Education : Studied philosophy, pursued a Master's of Public Affairs, graduated from the École nationale d'administration (ENA) 2004
Son of a physician and a professor of neurology; his parents were divorced in 2010; Raised in a non-religious family, he was baptized a Roman Catholic at his own request at age 12 (French Revolution in the 18th century had witnessed a large scale massacre of Catholic clergy)
Marriage : Macron married Brigitte Trogneux, 24 years elder to him, and his teacher in High School
Investment Banker : Became an investment banker at Rothschild & Cie Banque
Appointed Deputy Secretary-General in François Hollande's first government in May 2012, having been a member of the Socialist Party from 2006 to 2009
Appointed Minister of Economy, Industry and Digital Affairs in 2014 under the Second Valls Government, where he pushed through business-friendly reforms
November 2016 : Macron declared that he would run in the election under the banner of En Marche!, a centrist political movement he founded in April 2016, and won the election on 7 May 2017
En Marche! June 2017 legislative elections saw Macron's party getting renamed "La République En Marche!"; Won alongwith ally Democratic Movement (MoDem) a comfortable majority (350 seats out of 577) with his party winning majority of 308 seats.
Government experience : Worked as an Inspector of Finances in the French Ministry of Economy; Offered the job of managing director for Mouvement des Entreprises de France, the largest employer federation in France by Laurence Parisot but declined. Worked as an Inspector of Finances in the Inspectorate General of Finances (IGF)
August 2007 : served as deputy rapporteur for the Commission to improve French economic growth. Left to work as an investment banker in a highly-paid position at Rothschild & Cie Banque. Was inspired to leave the government due to the election of Nicolas Sarkozy to the presidency
Millionaire Macron : Macron promoted to partner with the bank after working on the recapitalization on Le Monde and the acquisition by Atos by Siemens IT Solutions and Services. In the same year, Macron appointed as managing director and put in charge of Nestlé's acquisition of one of Pfizer's largest subsidies based around baby drinks. The deal, which amounted to more than 9 billion euros, made Macron a millionaire
Free Market : Macron has advocated the free market and reducing the public-finances deficit; He says he is "neither right nor left" and that he advocates "a collective solidarity". He said that "Honesty compels me to say that I am not a socialist"
Cut the flab : Macron supports cutting the number of civil servants by 1,20,000.
Anti-colonial : He described France's colonization of Algeria as a "crime against humanity". He is often called "ardently pro-Europe"
Humanist : Supports the open-door policy toward refugees from the Middle East and Africa pursued by Angela Merkel in Germany
Terrorism : A proposal to provide each young adult a "Culture Pass" of € 500 may encourage young people to discover the culture of France and deter terrorism

09 August, 2017 - Ahmed Patel

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AHMED PATEL [Considered Number 2 in Congress Party, Troubleshooter, Lifelong Congressman, Rajya Sabha member (born 21 August 1949, Age 68)]
Gujarat's representation : Ahmed Patel represented Gujarat seven times in the Parliament, three times in the lower house or Lok Sabha (1977–1989) and four times in the Rajya Sabha (since 1993). A Gujarati from Bharuch, he has stayed loyal to the Congress throughout
A long career : In a career spanning four decades he occupied key positions in the party's district, provincial and central units
Tough RS call in 2017 : Only Muslim parliamentarian from Gujarat in 2017. On 9 August, 2017 Ahmed Patel again got elected to Rajya Sabha defeating BJP's Balwant Singh in perhaps the toughest Rajya Sabha election ever! The cliffhanger victory against the combined might of entire BJP in 2017 Rajya Sabha election was unprecedented, coming as it did after a series of tense manoeuvres
Political Secretary to the Big Boss : As the political secretary to the Congress President Sonia Gandhi since 2001, he is usually credited with the party’s performance in the 2004 and 2009 General elections
Low Profile : He kept himself out of government in the 14th and 15th Lok Sabhas, and maintained a low profile. Patel is the only second Muslim after Ehsan Jafri to be elected as an Lok Sabha MP in Gujarat
Rajiv Gandhi's Secretary : Contested the local body elections in the Bharuch District of Gujarat in 1976, and rose rapidly, becoming (from January to September 1985) the Parliamentary Secretary to then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi
Young and smart : In 1992, Ahmed Patel became one of the youngest members to be elected to the Congress Working Committee, the party's highest decision making body. Between 1992 and 2001, he held key positions in the party such as General Secretary and Treasurer. As General Secretary, Ahmed Patel was responsible for overseeing the party's units in Orissa, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi. During his tenure, the Congress came to power in the states of Orissa, Punjab and Delhi
Sardar Sarovar Project : Was proactive in setting up the Narmada Management Authority to monitor the Sardar Sarovar Project in 1987
Jawahar Bhavan : Supervised the construction of Jawahar Bhavan in New Delhi’s Raisina Road, a stalled project, which was completed just in time for the centenary celebrations. Funds came from Congress lawmakers and partly crowd funded through one day cricket matches
Bharuch all the way : In 2005, Ahmed Patel had got Bharuch included as one of the first five districts to be covered under the then launched Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana, to boost electrification in the district. The Sardar Patel bridge to de-congest traffic between the twin cities of Bharuch and Ankleshwar has been one of his contributions to the region.
Crowd-sourcing : Ahmed Patel was asked to head Party's Gujarat unit (GPCC) in 1986. During his two year tenure, he mobilized party cadres during the Gujarat drought via a specially formed trust, the Gujarat Rahat Samiti. He pioneered the idea of crowd sourcing funds for political purposes, a concept which uncommon in Indian politics. The trust raised over Rs 2.5 crore in 1988 by hosting Amitabh Bachchan concerts, and used the record proceeds to adopt cattle affected by the severe drought.
Mandal Kamandal : The rise of Mandal and Mandir politics dealt a temporary blow to Ahmed Patel's political career in 1989, when he lost the Bharuch seat. In 1993, he managed to enter Rajya Sabha and has been a member ever since.
Personal Life : Married to Memoona Ahmed since 1976, and has a daughter and a son. Memoona belongs to a Gujarati trader family who settled in Myanmar; the family of freedom fighters worked closely with Netaji Subhash Chandra Boses's activities in Myanmar and Congress's Seva Dal
Education : Bachelor's degree from Bharuch's Jayendra Puri Arts and Science College
Cricket Captain : Active sportsman during his early days and captained for his college cricket and badminton tournaments
Cooperative Movement : Assisted his father in the cooperative bank movement. He says that "women are the silent foot soldiers of our agricultural revolution"

10 August, 2017 - Justice Dipak Misra

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JUSTICE DIPAK MISRA [Supreme Court judge, India's 45th CJI (Born 3 October 1953, age 64)]
Justice Dipak Misra will be the next CJI after Justice J.S.Khehar retires on August 28, 2017, and will get a total tenure of 13 months as the CJI, as per the Law Ministry
Liberal : He is a liberal freethinker, advocates freedom for women, including to dance in dance bars
An admirable mind : Lawyers agree that in addition to the intricacies of law, Justice Misra is adept at literature, philosophy and history! The references to various Shastras made in his courts are proof of that. When the matter is complex, lawyers know that Justice Misra will disentagle the web of reasoning and present the crystal clear picture soon enough. A shining career which started on 1977 from Orissa now reaches the pinnacle of its profession
Career : Justice Misra came to the SC from the Delhi High Court in 2011, having started his career from Odisha. Appointed Additional Judge of the Orissa High Court 1996 and then a Permanent Judge in Madhya Pradesh High Court, from December 1997. Appointed Chief Justice of the Patna High Court in 2009 and Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court in 2010
Illustrious family : The nephew of late Shri Ranganath Misra who was the 21st Chief Justice of India (1990 to 1991), and first chairman of the National Human Rights Commission of India. Thus, he belongs to the "first Judicial Family" of Odisha. Read the full list of Chief Justices of India on our Static Repository here
Tough nuts to crack lie ahead : He will tackle some of the most complex constitutional cases pending, including - (a) Ayodhya title case, (b) Cauvery waters dispute, (c) SEBI - Sahara row, (d) BCCI reforms, (e) Panama Papers leak, (f) Debate on Privacy laws and (g) Aadhar being made mandatory issue
Big decisions : His notable decisions so far were in cases like (i) Mumbai blasts accused Yakub Memon, (ii) Delhi gangrape-murder case, (iii) defamation law, (iv) judgment in the Own Motion vs State case, requiring Delhi Police to upload FIRs on their website within 24 hours of the FIRs being lodged, in order to enable the accused to file appropriate applications in courts, (v) on Reservation in promotion, upheld the Allahabad High Court judgement that reservation in promotions can be provided only if there is sufficient data and evidence to justify; Rejected the UP government's decision to provide reservation in promotion on these very grounds, (vi) Rejected the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts convict Yakub Memon's appeal to stop his execution, (vii) A three judge bench led by him upheld the death sentence awarded to the four convicts of the Nirbhaya rape case on 5th May, 2017, (viii) Got the central government to revoke president’s rule in Uttarakhand.
Jana Gana Man : Justice Mishra was part of the bench that ordered playing of the National nthem before screening of films
Death Threat : After the Memon verdict, received a death threat in writing, an anonymous letter which says "irrespective of the protection you may avail, we will eliminate you." He was assigned high security following that
A test of strength : As the chief justice of the Delhi High Court, had the court up and running within hours of a terror blast ripping through it, which claimed many lives. He refused to be fazed by it saying “We cannot be seen as cowing down before terrorists”
Constitutional Watchdog : He believes that governments must stick to constitutional values as expected to in the highest standards of democracy

11 August, 2017 - Mohd Hamid Ansari

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MOHAMMAD HAMID ANSARI [Scholar, Independent thinker, Ex Vice President of India, Ex VC of AMU, Ex Ambassador (Born 01 April, 1937, Age 80 years)]
Education : Studied at Shimla, Kolkata and Aligarh Muslim University
Illustrious assignments : As the Vice President of India, has served as the ex-officio chairman of Rajya Sabha. Presently the President of the Indian Institute of Public Administration, Chancellor of Pondicherry University and the President of the Indian Council of World Affairs
Only the second 10-year Vice President : Was the first person to be re-elected as Indian VP (the first was Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan in 1957).
Only VP to serve during 3 Presidential tenures : Upon the inauguration of Ram Nath Kovind as President of India in 2017, Shri Ansari became the first Indian Vice-President to serve during the terms of three presidents (Mrs Pratibha Patil, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, Shri Ram Nath Kovind)
Independent thinker : Hamid Ansari is a scholar of West Asia, and has independent perspectives on many issues. His thoughts on India’s vote against Iran in the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) were against the State’s official line.
Pro Kashmiri Pandit : Was chairman of a Working Group on Kashmir, and recommended recognizing the right of Kashmiri Pandits to return to "places of their original residence" and he argued that it should be state policy, and without any ambiguity
Family : Father Mohammad Abdul Aziz Ansari and Mother Aasiya Begum; Shri Ansari was born in Kolkata), West Bengal; Is the grandson of a brother of former Congress President Mukhtar Ahmad Ansari, who was a leader of the Indian independence movement
Controversy : A recent controversy just upon his retirement after 10 illustrious years as the Vice President was a statement about a sense of unease among Indian Muslims. The statement came in an interview on the last day of his tenure. He was attacked in social media immediately, though many who attacked or trolled him forgot what he had said about the Kashmiri Pandits and their right to be resettled back from where they were uprooted
Last interview as VC to the Rajya Sabha TV : He covered a vast ground. Key points were (a) India has been a plural society for centuries, and not just the past 70 years, (b) Many recent developments in India – like the judicial decisions to impose the national anthem and the national song or a concerted attack on minorities has led to a growing sense of insecurity among Muslims, (c) Cultural aggression and arrogant nationalism has arisen from a a deep sense of insecurity and can harm India’s future, (d) The propensity to be able to assert your nationalism day in and day out is unnecessary, (e) Tolerance to different cultures and religions is a good virtue, it may not be a sufficient virtue and India needs to take the next step and go from tolerance to acceptance
Not supportive of present Kashmir policy : He has indirectly criticised the so-called militaristic approach of the Modi government to resolve the Kashmir impasse, as he feels it is a political problem
Prior to, and during the 10 years as the Vice President : Was Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities from 2006 to 2007. Elected Vice-President of India on 10 August 2007 and reelected on 7 August 2012. The second term ended in August 2017 and he decided not to run for a third term.Was always seen calmly handling the most difficult situations inside the Rajya Sabha. Would generally not allow a bill to pass in the middle of noise and din
A personality to remember : His decade-long stint in the second-highest constitutional post of India will be remembered for a long time to come. Always sober, composed and erudite, Shri Hamid Ansari has left behind big shoes to fill. He is succeeded by ex-Urban development Minister and lifelong BJP man Shri Venkaiah Naidu.

14 August, 2017 - Baba Ramdev

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BABA RAMDEV Born Ramkrishna Yadav, Yoga Guru, Successful Ayurved entrepreneur, Politically active [Born 25 Dec 1965, age 52 yrs]
Entrepreneur : Founder of the Patanjali Group of Institutions which has a vast footprint across India now in multiple sectors
Initial days : Born at Hazaribag Ali Saiyad Pur village, Mahendragarh district, Haryana to farmer parents. Studies Indian scriptures, Yoga and Sanskrit in various Gurukuls (schools)
Founded the Divya Yog Mandir Trust in 1995
The TV star is born : Started appearing on morning slots on Aastha TV from 2003 which was the start of his meteoric rise. Conducted camps with thousands of loyal followers attending religiously
International appearances : Invited by Kofi Annan of UN in 2006 to lecture on poverty alleviation at a United Nations conference. Visited many other nations and performed Yoga and spread it far and wide
The Star's Footprints : Patanjali Yogpeeth, Patanjali Ayurved and Bharat Swabhiman Trust are some of his ventures - (a) Patanjali Yogpeeth works for promotion of Yoga and Ayurveda, from its Patanjali Yogpeeth I and Patanjali Yogpeeth II campuses in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, (b) Patanjali Ayurved - a Haridwar based consumer packaged goods company by Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna in 2006. The company has sky-rocketing sales touching several thousand crore rupees, directly threatening established consumer goods MNCs in India, (c) Bharat Swabhiman Trust was a political party to be brought in 2010, an idea that was dropped in favour of working to influence political parties through popular reaction of citizens
Election Campaign and pro-Modi campaign : In 2014, Ramdev attempted to run yoga camps during the election campaign to perhaps gain support for Narendra Modi, but the Election Commission of India (ECI) disallowed the same
Awards : Of the many awards, India Today magazine in 2014 ranked Baba Ramdev # 5 in its list of India's 50 Most powerful people of 2017. He also politely declined the 2015 Padma Vibushan award (second highest civilian award) being an ascetic
Influence : Baba Ramdev's reach and influence is legendary, in the citizenry at large, and with the political establishment also. He regularly features on all mainstream media channels, and the top annual seminars hosted by media houses
Global ambitions : His aim is to spread the consumer products worldwide so everyone can benefit from the goodness of Indian ancient wisdom, while he meticulously works to drive out the multinationals from their comfortable nests within India! The Economist magazine featured him prominently in a positive way, in 2017

15 August, 2017 - Dr Homi J Bhabha

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HOMI JEHANGIR BHABHA Father of Indian nuclear programme, Founder director of TIFR and Trombay AEE founder director, [Born 30 October 1909, Died in mysterious circumstances in an air crash on 24 January 1966 (Age 57 years)]
Leading from the front : Dr Bhabha is one of those personalities whole life's work gave modern India the confidence to stand with pride against hostile enemies - we salute his brilliance and dedication to the cause of India, in the middle of a difficult geopolitical situation in South Asia during the US-USSR cold war era (1949 to 1991)
Nuclear Physics : Professor of nuclear physics, he founded two institutions - (a) the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) and (b) the Trombay Atomic Energy Establishment (now BARC). Supervised the development of nuclear weapons at these two sites - something that must have alarmed the Americans as Pakistan was their ally. Bhabha received his doctorate in 1933 in nuclear physics after publishing his scientific paper "The Absorption of Cosmic radiation"
Awards : Padma Bhushan (1954), Adams Prize (1942), Fellow of the Royal Society
Early days : Born in a rich family linked with Dinshaw Petit and Dorabji Tata; Father Jehangir H Bhabha was a leading lawyer. Attended the Royal Institute of Science until 1927 before joining Caius College of Cambridge University to become a metallurgist
With big names : Later, excelled in mathematical studies under Paul Dirac; worked at the Cavendish Laboratory while working towards his doctorate in theoretical physics; was there in the middle of an exciting time of scientific breakthroughs like James Chadwick's discovering the neutron, John Cockcroft and Ernest Walton transmuting lithium with high-energy protons, and Patrick Blackett and Giuseppe Occhialini using cloud chambers to demonstrate the production of electron pairs and showers by gamma radiation
TIFR comes into being : With the help of J.R.D.Tata, played an instrumental role in the establishment of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Bombay in 1945
Technology for Indian atomic energy programme : For serious technology development for Indian atomic energy programme , 1200 acres of land was acquired at Trombay from the Bombay Government and the Atomic Energy Establishment Trombay (AEET) started functioning in 1954. The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) was also established in 1954
Father of three stage nuclear programme based on Thorium, not Uranium : Bhabha formulated a strategy of focussing on extracting power from the country's vast thorium reserves rather than its meagre uranium reserves - a unique approach in the world, which ultimately became India's three stage nuclear power programme. Bhabha stressed on it as Indian thorium reserves were at 5 lac tonnes, while uranium weren't even 10% of it
Death and conspiracy theories : Died in an unfortunate accident when his Air India Flight 101 crashed near Mont Blanc, Switzerland, on 24 January 1966. Of the many conspiracy theories, a prominent one is that the American CIA, wary of India's nuclear programme espeically after 1965 defeat of Pakistan (a US ally), eliminated Dr Bhabha by either planting a bomb in the plane, or some other means. That logic is extended to the death (elimination by poisoning) of Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri also, at Tashkent in 1966 (post the 1965 war)

17 August, 2017 - Masayoshi Son

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MASAYOSHI SON Korean-Japanese mega Technology investor, founder of SoftBank, Richest Japanese man, [Born August 11, 1957 (Age 60)]
The biggest technology Vision Fund ever : Built the biggest technology fund ever (SoftBank Vision Fund) to invest in futuristic companies and projets. Saudi Arabia's government is the biggest investor with commitments of as much as $45 billion over five years. Apple, chip firm Qualcomm, contract manufacturing firm Foxconn, and the family office of software billionaire Larry Ellison are investors in the Vision Fund.
Korean, Japanese : Son is a Korean-descendant or a Zainichi Korean. Grandparent moved from Korea to Japan, and family adopted the Japanese surname Yasumoto
Business : Son pursued his interests in business by securing a meeting with Japan McDonald's president, and started studying English and computer science
America : Moved to California at age 16, and finally went to the University of California, Berkeley, majoring in economics and studied computer science.
Microchips! He was fascinated by "microchips" and at a young age became sure that computer technology would ignite the next commercial revolution. Son decided to produce at least one microchip a day. He patented a microchip that he eventually sold to Sharp Electronics for $450,000
Son, the role model : Decided to use his Korean-style surname Son when he came back to Japan to become a role model for ethnic Korean children
Promises to Trump : In December 2016, Son promised Donald Trump that SoftBank would lead a $50 billion investment from the "SoftBank Vision Fund" into U.S. firms
Maximum loss record : Son lost the most money in modern history, when he lost more than $70bn during the dot com crash of 2000)
Powerful list : Named the world's 45th most powerful person by Forbes Magazine's List of The World's Most Powerful People in 2013
India Connect : Son is deeply invested into India now, with the largest ever investment of $ 2.4 billion into an Indian company (Flipkart) by any foreign investor ever taking its valuation to more than $ 15 billion; Overall Son has invested more than $ 6 billion in India's ecommerce play

21 August, 2017 - Vishal Sikka

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VISHAL SIKKA ex-Infosys CEO-MD, former SAP honcho, technology visionary (Born 01 June, 1967, Age 50)
Technology visionary : Vishal Sikka is a technology visionary who carried out large scale cutting edge innovations in one of the biggest global tech firms SAP AG of Germany, leading all SAP products and innovation globally. Worked for 12 years at SAP, having become their first-ever CTO
HANA : An influential advocate for HANA (a breakthrough in enterprise software), SAP's new In-memory database technology, that he led the development of after being appointed CTO
Early life : Born at Shajapur in Madhya Pradesh, he was schooled at Vadodara, and later went to college and joined the bachelors progamme in computer engineering at Maharaja Sayajirao University Baroda. Discontinued the program at MS University and went to Syracuse University, New York to complete a B.S. in computer science. Went on to earn his Ph.D. in 1996 from Stanford University, with a dissertation on 'Integrating Specialized Procedures into Proof Systems'
Spectacular career : His performance at SAP was spectacular, and was credited with accelerating SAP’s development processes, transforming its innovation culture and also being the creator of the concept of ‘timeless software’, which is the renewal of products without disruption to customer environments. Sikka was a member of the Executive Board and the Global Managing Board of SAP AG
Infosys found him great : His performance was a key in being recruited as the successor to the elite promoter team at Infosys, an Indian IT bellwether firm, in June 2014, as the CEO and MD. He took over from then-CEO S.D. Shibulal, one of Infosys' founders. Inducted as a whole-time director of the Board also. Annual compensation was set at $6 million and stock options worth $5 million. In later months, salary issues became a point of fracture with founder-promoters who considered "compassionate capitalism" as a core value Infosys should not have compromised with
A succession gone horribly wrong : On 18th of August 2017 he stepped down as CEO and MD of Infosys, after a long-running war of words and perceptions between him and the Board of Directors on one side, and the founder promoters on the other
Powerful! Ranked 32nd of 50 Most powerful people of India in 2017, by India Today magazine
Entrepreneurial stings : Founded iBrain which competed at the time with Business Objects, and was acquired by PatternRX, Inc. Founded Bodha.com, focused on developing technology for non-invasive, service-based integration of enterprise applications and information. Was acquired by Peregrine Systems

24 August, 2017 - Hassan Rouhani

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HASSAN ROUHANI President of Iran, moderate, lawyer, academic, former cleric (Born 12 November 1948, Age 69 yrs)
Spiritual : Born Hassan Fereydoun, he changed his name to “Rouhani” meaning spiritual. Belongs to the "Moderation and Development Party" since 1999
President of Shia-Iran : Seventh and present Iranian president, in the middle of a very delicate geopolitical situation evolving in the Middle East, leading the huge majority-Shia state, that is also nuclear-capable. While fighting the 2013 elections, promised that if elected, he would prepare a "civil rights charter", restore the economy and improve rocky relations with Western nations
Clergy and theocratic pressure : Conservatives in Iran are constantly keeping up the pressure, pushing for a hard-line agenda – the tension between hardliners. In Iran’s complex internal structure, although the President is the popularly elected representative of the people, the security establishment reports directly to the Supreme Leader who can override the Government on certain critical issues. The present Supreme Leader of Iran is Ali Khamenei
Sunnis versus Iran : Sunni states in the Gulf are consolidating a regional alliance against Shia-majority Iran; US, especially under Donald Trump, is not an easy nation to deal with! It has once again turned up the heat on Iran’s missile programme, something Obama administration had brought under international control
Nuclear deal - a big victory : In the middle of this web of complexities that is Iranian politics, Mr. Rouhani has been known to deftly manoeuvre his way, pushing pragmatic policies without upsetting the conservatives or the liberals. The nuclear deal with the US was an example of successful leadership in very difficult circumstances. Hossein Fereidoun, his brother, was arrested in June 2017 on charges of financial crimes. Though it was speculated that this was a fallout of the conservatives' anger on the nuclear deal (Fereidoun was a key negotiator)
No women representatives : However, amidst all this, Mr Rouhani has found himself in the middle of another controversy lately. The new cabinet selected by him to run the Government is an ‘all-men cabinet’! It was anticipated that a women member could be seen in the cabinet this time given the support Mr. Rouhani enjoys in the current Majlis (Parliament of Iran).
Forward, Backward, Stalemate? This has upset a lot of the liberals who had lauded Rouhani for his forward looking policies. What Mr. Rouhani has in mind will only be revealed as the future unfolds itself. We hope that whatever happens, is in the best interest of the world as a whole.
Deep Dive : Here is an insight on the Infosys story, the good and the bad - Click to read

25 August, 2017 - Manohar Lal Khattar

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MANOHAR LAL KHATTAR Politician, former RSS Pracharak, CM of Haryana, Born 5 May, 1954 (Age 63 years)
Risen from humble roots : Father Shri Harbans Lal Khattar migrated to Haryana from Jhang district of Pakistan following the Partition of India in 1947
Education : Matriculation from Government College, Rohtak, and bachelor's degree from Delhi University (while running his shop)
Political and Social journey : Joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in 1977, and became a full-time pracharak which means he is a lifelong bachelor; Moved to the BJP in 1994 playing out many roles like Organizational General Secretary of Haryana, Chairman of BJP's Haryana Election Campaign Committee for 2014 Lok Sabha Elections etc. Became a Member of BJP's National Executive Committee
CM of Haryana : Became the Chief Minister of Haryana, after winning his first-ever election from Karnal legislative assembly constituency; sworn-in as CM after BJP's win in the the 2014 elections. Election was full of challenge and controversy as party's workers wanted to field a local candidate instead and he was branded a "bahari" (external)
Three rounds of mega violence in Haryana : In the eye of the storm at least thrice since becoming CM of Haryana – (i) due to Baba Rampal supporters rampage in 2014, (ii) due to widespread violence in Jat reservation agitation in 2016, and (iii) the unruly mob unleashed post Dera Sacha Sauda Ram Rahim’s conviction in a rape case in 2017. The BJP ruled out his resignation despite uncontrolled violence in last week of August 2017 across some cities leading to massive loss of property, something the Punjab and Haryana High Court castigated the government for ("you are colluding with the Dera")
Going Soft on Dera : Allegations of going soft on Dera Sacha Sadua post Court Verdict in 2017 surfaced in media prominently, and critics pointed out the “blessings” of the Dera to help Khattar and BJP win the elections
Conservative? On a question on Khaps, Khattar has reportedly stated that girls must not "lure" boys and must wear decent clothes to not attract the opposite sex
Progressive Moves : Khattar had announced that Haryana will have an all-woman police station in each district and around 500 woman constables will be recruited. Suggested that Yoga to be a part of police constables training to help keep the police personnel mentally and physically fit
Modern : Introduced e-services through Common Service Centres including biometric attendance system in all the government offices through which attendance of all officers will be available online and monitored
Beti Bachao : Took steps to implement the “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Yojana” scheme; claims are that the child sex ratio has been improved in Haryana since he assumed power, and is 889 girls per 1,000 boys. Activists have criticized him saying such slogans do not gel with protective attitude towards Dera leader Gurmeet Ram Rahim, convicted by CBI court of raping his female disciples.

28 Aug - Baba Dr Gurmeet Ram Rahim Insaan

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BABA GURMEET RAM RAHIM SINGH INSAAN Social-Religious leader of Dera Sacha Sauda, Convicted Rapist, Political kingmaker (Born 15 August 1967, Age 50 yrs)
Head of the Dera : He led the social group Dera Sacha Sauda since 23 September 1990 (succeeded Shah Satnam Singh), claiming 6 crore followers globally. The Dera culture is prominent in Haryana and Punjab, where the Dalit population is substantial. Thousands of Deras function, most non-controversially. Dera Sacha Sauda became a huge group, politically swaying election results
Dera Sacha Sauda : an Indian religious cult group and non-profit social welfare organisation (dera), established 29 April 1948 by Mastana Balochistani, an ascetic, as a centre for religious learning. Its headquarters are at Sirsa in Haryana, the site of Army deployment post arrest of Baba
Swag : Most babas or religious gurus would be known for stoicism, altruism, austerity and celibacy but Baba Gurmeet was flamboyant, starred in large budget movies, composed music, played sports, did rock concerts and rode giant bikes.The 'LoveCharger Baba' was undone by his sexual misdemeanours finally
Mixing Religion with Politics - Boom! Before being handed a 10-year jail sentence for raping two of his female disciples, Baba enjoyed immense political support from both the Congress as well as the BJP. Ministers in the Haryana Government donated Rs 51 lac, Rs 50 lac and Rs 11 lac each from their discretionary funds (this is the highest they could give) to Baba's foundation. He exercised considerable influence in the 2007, 2012 Punjab state elections, 2014 Haryana state elections and the 2015 Delhi and Bihar assembly elections. It was assumed that he would offer his vote bank (primarily of Dalits and OBCs) to parties in exchange for grants, favours and impunity.
Security Cover : He also enjoyed a Z+ security cover. Those policemen scuffled with the actual Police at the time of his arrest post the CBI Court's verdict. All of those commandos have been arrested.
Social Work : He has drives for blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol screening that were recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records. He initiated a series of sanitation drives in Delhi in 2011 and supported the Central Government in its Swachh Bharat Mission. He also organised large scale blood donation drives and drug de-addiction campaigns. Provided relief to disaster victims through a specialised disaster relief welfare agency called Shah Satnam Ji Green-S Welfare Force.
Controversies : (1) Mass Castration - Accused of conducting mass castrations of hundreds of his unsuspecting followers with allegedly plans to make an army of transgenders, (2) Conflict with Sikh Groups - He has attracted the ire of the Sikh community ever since he dressed himself up as Guru Gobind Singh (the 10th Sikh Guru) in an advertisement, (3) Rape Allegations - He has been convicted of 2 counts of rape involving a former Dera Sadhvi (female follower). IT doesn't stop there - is also accused of raping several other female followers by misleading them into believing that it was a process of 'purification', (4) Murder Allegations - He is accused of murdering journalist Ram Chander Chattarpati and Dera Manager Ranjit Singh who tried to expose him to the public many years ago. Those cases are still being tried.
Conviction : He was held guilty on 25 August 2017 by a special CBI court in Panchkula under Sections 376 (rape), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509 (insulting modesty of a woman). It sparked violent protests by his followers in Haryana and Punjab, leading to arson, vandalism and destruction of public and private property after the court announced its verdict. The rioting left over 36 people dead and more than 300 injured.
Jailed : Baba was taken to Rohtak Jail where he was awarded a 10 year prison sentence by the CBI judge flown specially for that purpose. The process of appeal will commence soon. His trial in other cases too is nearing a close.
Questions left unanswered : The dangerous mixing of politics and religion, and the complicity of all Parties in this game was squarely exposed once more. His supporters' love for him grows constantly, and that is food for thought for sociologists.

30 Aug - P V Sindhu

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PUSARLA VENKATA SINDHU (P V SINDHU) Prolific Indian Badmintor player, Born 5 July 1995 (Age 22 years)
Hall of Fame : At the 2016 Summer Olympics, the first Indian woman to win an Olympic silver medal. The first Indian badminton player to reach the final of an Olympics badminton event, and the youngest Indian to make a podium finish in an individual event at the Olympics. One of the two Indian badminton players to ever win an Olympic medal – other being Saina Nehwal. Finished with a silver medal at the 2017 BWF World Championships after losing in what is coming to be known as one of the most iconic badminton matches ever.
BWF World Rankings : Broke into the top 20 of the BWF World Ranking in September 2012 at the age of 17. In 2013, became the first ever Indian women's singles player to win a medal at the Badminton World Championships. Rated number 4 in the BWF World Ranking, she is one of India’s biggest hope for the future in the game
Honours : Received the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna - highest sporting honour of India – 2016. Received India's fourth highest civilian honor, the Padma Shri in March 2015. Recipient of the Arjuna Award in 2013
Recently in News : Japan's Nozomi Okuhara and P V Sindhu played the second longest women’s singles badminton match ever in this points format at 110 minutes at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, Scotland, on 27th August 2017. Although Sindhu lost 19-21, 22-20, 20-22, it is being regarded as one of the greatest matches in Badminton history. The longest rally had 73 shots!
Badminton in India : Badminton is the second most played and fourth most followed sport in India, and with stars like her, more youngsters will surely be prompted to join in
Training : PV Sindhu was coached by famous former badminton player (the 2001 All England Open Badminton Champion) and coach Pullela Gopichand, at the Gopichand Badminton Academy located in Hyderabad. The Academy has trained several badminton players such as P. V. Sindhu, ParupalliKashyap, Srikanth Kidambi, Arundhati Pantawane, GurusaiDatt, Arun Vishnu and Sameer Verma
Personal Life : Employed by Bharat Petroleum since July 2013, as an assistant sports manager. Promoted to deputy sports manager after her silver medal finish at the Rio Olympics

04 Sept - Nirmala Sitharaman

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NIRMALA SITHARAMAN Defence Minister of India, Sincere politician, Tough WTO negotiator, ex-Consultant Born 18 August 1959 (Age 58 years)
Early Life : Born in Madurai, Tamil Nadu; B.A. from Tiruchirappalli, M.A. in Economics from JNU Delhi in 1980, later pursued M.Phil. and then PhD in Indo-Eurpoean Textile Trade within the GATT Framework
Career : Sr Manager at PwC (Pricewaterhouse Coopers) - one of the big 4 consulting firms; Founding Director of Pranava School in Hyderabad; Been a member of the National Commission for Women from 2003-05, where she met Sushma Swaraj and her political career took off
Politics : Her career is nothing short of meteoric! Joined the BJP in 2006 and became one of BJP’s 6 national spokespersons in March 2010. Joined the Modi ministry in May 2014. Played a key role in the run up to the 2014 General Elections in effectively projecting the Modi-for-PM message. Became a Rajya Sabha member from Andhra Pradesh when the BJP came to power in 2014. Assumed independent charge as Minister of State (MoS) of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and MoS for Finance and Corporate Affairs (under Ministry of Finance) on 26 May, 2016. Currently a Rajya Sabha member from the state of Karnataka since 2016.
Career High Point : On 3rd September, 2017 she became the first full-time woman Defence Minister of India, relieving Mr. Arun Jaitley who was handling the Finance Ministry in parallel. Her choice was not expected by experts or media.
Fit for the post : In her previous capacities as the national spokesperson for BJP and the Commerce and Industries Minister, she acquired the image of a sincere politician known for deft handling of delicate situations, personal integrity and being a quick learner.
The Women Quotient : Six ministers of the 27 in the cabinet and Two in the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) are women, sending a strong signal for women empowerment. BJP also looks to leverage Sitharaman’s influence in South India. Her elevation to the big profile will make her a dominant figure in South Indian politics where BJP has been eagerly yet patiently waiting to make its presence felt
Challenges as Raksha Mantri : She faces some tough ones including - (a) An aggressive China and a mortal enemy Pakistan, (b) Pending modernisation of Army, (c) Huge upgradation needs of the IAF, (d) Make in India has not really picked up in defence so far, (e) Huge need for funds in Defence, (f) Evolving and complex global geopolitics, (g) The Indian Ocean dynamics and PLAN's push into it, (h) Kashmir! We wish her great luck in her new assignment.

05 Sept - Rajyawardhan Rathore

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RAJYAVARDHAN SINGH RATHORE Shooting champion, Olympian, Politician, Born 29 Jan, 1970 (Age 47 years)
Introduction : This Rajput descendant of Bikaner’s first king Rao Bikaji’s family, is a former professional shooter in the double trap shooting event event (2 clay targets are simultaneously released following a set path - to be shot with a shotgun standing 16 yards from the point of release)
Career in politics : Joined the BJP in 2014 and became an MP from Jaipur rural. Was given the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in his capacity as Minister of State. Then made the Minister of State with independent charge of the Youth Affairs and Sports Ministry. This makes him the first ever sportsperson to have occupied this position
Sporting Career Highlights : Holds the current Commonwealth Games record of shooting 192 targets out of 200 in the double trap individual event that he made at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England which won him a Gold Medal that year. (His highest score is 194 at the 2011 Asian Clay Target Championship which equals the world record). Defended his title successfully at the next Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. Won Gold at the 2004 Sydney and the 2006 Cairo World Shooting Championships as well. Won successive Gold Medals 4 times in a row from 2003 to 2006 in the Asian Clay Target Championships. Claim to fame was in 2004 in the Athens Olympics when he brought home India’s first ever individual silver Olympic medal. Ranked number 3 in the world for most of 2003 and rose to number 1 for a brief period prior to the 2004 Olympics. Now that’s a sterling record!
Awards and Honours : Awarded theAti Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) for "distinguished service of an exceptional order” by the President. Received the Padma Shri in 2005 - India’s 4th highest civilian honour. Was awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna for 2004-05 - India’s highest sporting honour. Had earlier received the Arjuna award for 2003-04. Was the flag-bearer for India in the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Received several awards during his military career as well. He was honoured with the ‘Blazer’ which is the highest sports award at the NDA, Pune. Received the Sword of Honour for the best all round officer cadet at the IMA. Won the Sikh Regiment Gold Medal for the best sportsmen at the IMA as well.
A game called politics : Often heard that politicians are not empathetic to the needs of sportspersons in our country and that is often cited as the reason for India’s poor performance, despite having a fair share of the world’s population. Well, his appointment has come at the right time when India is eyeing the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and we hope that Mr Rathore will sets a precedent and all future Sports Ministers will be drawn from the field of sports. This in itself will encourage more people to take up sports in India
Sign of lasting change? Too early to tell, as there is a huge bureaucratic machinery that runs games and sports in India. As the Supreme Court - BCCI tiff showed, we have miles to go before creating a fully professional and result-oriented sports culture in India. We need many more Ministers like him, and some more years of efforts.

06 Sept - Dr. S Radhakrishnan

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SARVEPALLI RADHAKRISHNAN A modern Hindu, great Teacher, India’s President Born 05 September 1888 - 17 April 1975 (86 years)
Early Life : Born in a Telugu brahmin family, in a village in erstwhile Chittoor district of Madras Presidency.
'Defender' of Hinduism : Dr. S Radhakrishnan himself spoke of how, as a student, "The challenge of Christian critics impelled me to make a study of Hinduism and find out what is living and what is dead in it. My pride as a Hindu, roused by the enterprise and eloquence of Swami Vivekananda, was deeply hurt by the treatment accorded to Hinduism in missionary institutions." This led him to his critical study of Indian philosophy and religion and a lifelong defence of Hinduism against "uninformed Western criticism".
Political Career : The first Vice President of India from 1952-1962, and became the second President of India from 1962-67. India witnessed tumultuous times, as we faced two wars, first against China in 1962 and the next against Pakistan in 1965.
Philosopher President : He is also known as the ‘Philosopher President’ of India. As a renowened academician, a statesman, a professor and a philosopher, his mark is indelible on Indian history. British philosopher and Nobel laureate Bertrand Russel said of his appointment: “It is an honour to philosophy that Dr.Radhakrishnan should be President of India and I, as a philosopher, take special pleasure in this. Plato aspired for philosophers to become kings and it is a tribute to India that she should make a philosopher her President.”
Academics : One of India’s most distinguished scholars in the field of comparative religion and philosophy. He was a professor of philosophy at the various reputed universities of the world. Became the Vice Chancellor at the Andhra University and the Banaras Hindu University (BHU). Was awarded scholarships throughout his academic life.
Life’s curious twists and turns : Going into philosophy wasn’t a choice he made, it was a choice made for him. His modest means didn’t allow new books for college, so he was forced to use the books of his cousin who had graduated and passed in philosophy from the same college. But it was not for nothing – he published a thesis on Vedanta philosophy when he was just 20 years old!
Philosophy & Religion : The roots of his philosophical words were grounded in the Advaita Vedanta. He tried to reinterpret the traditional values in a contemporary context. A firm believer in Hinduism and its philosophy, he tried to interpret its teachings in the western context, acting as a bridge-builder between the Western world and India.
A modern, informed Hindu : He wanted to to restore the self-esteem of the Indians that was gradually being eroded away, by highlighting the positives of Hinduism and defending them from uninformed Western criticism. The other was to try and cast off the imperial superiority complex of the Britishers. And he was very successful at it.
Awards and Honours : He was conferred India’s highest civilian honour - the Bharat Ratna in 1984 and the British Order of Merit in 1963. He has been nominated 11 times for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Teachers’ Day : People of India knew him as a philosopher and a statesman but most of all, they honour him as a teacher. He was very popular among his students. In 1962 for the first time his birthday was celebrated as Teachers’ Day in India. It was suggested first that it be celebrated as ‘Radhakrishnan Day’ but he offered it to be celebrated as ‘Teachers’ Day’ instead to commemorate the importance of teachers in our lives. Who other than a teacher of his stature to teach this lesson in humility.

07 Sept - Gauri Lankesh

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GAURI LANKESH Journalist, Rationalist, Fighter for causes, Born 29 January 1962 – Murdered 5 September 2017 (age 55 years) [pictured second from right, above]
Career : Born in a Lingayat family, she was a journalist-turned-activist from Bengaluru who started her career as a journalist with The Times of India. She was often called a“rationalist’’ — a term in India for people who stand against superstition and the use of religion in politics. She specialised in feminist politics and literature.
Left Wing sympathiser : She was often criticised for showing some sympathy to left wing extremists who have destabilised parts of central India for a long time.
Editor and Journalist : She was an editor in Lankesh Patrike which was a vernacular weekly newspaper in Kannada language started by her father P. Lankesh in 1980. She also ran her own weekly newspaper called Gauri Lankesh Patrike.
“Anti Communal” : She was a vocal critic of increasing instances of communal violence in India such as cow vigilantism and the government’s alleged role in giving these vigilantes a free hand. She also spoke against the government’s hard-line Hindutva agenda arguing that India is losing its multicultural identity and becoming more of a one-party, Hindu state.
Defamation Conviction : On 23 January 2008 she published an article titled "Darodegilada BJP galu" in her weekly newspaper. The article criticised the leaders Prahlad Joshi, Umesh Dushi, Shivanand Bhat, and Venkatesh Mestry of the BJP. Separate defamation cases were filed against her by Joshi and Dushi. On 27 November 2016, she was convicted and a fine of Rs.5,000 was imposed on her in each case, alongwith a six months imprisonment which she avoided using an anticipatory bail.
Personal Life : She married columnist Chidanand Rajghatta but later the two divorced. She remained single after separating with her husband and had no children. She called activists like Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid, Jignesh Mevani and Shehla Rashid Shora her "adopted children” and they were welcome anytime at her home. This further irritated a large number of people who began to consider her anti-national by nature.
Death : She was murdered on 5 September 2017 by unknown assailants who shot her dead outside her house, by opening a stream of hatred-filled bullets on her. People say she was killed for being a strong and outspoken critic of right-wing Hindu extremism. The day before her murder, she had shared a strong post on Facebook on RSS. She is one of the many journalists that have been murdered over the past few years for speaking up against the establishment - Dabholkar, Pansare and Kalburgi being some other prominent names (all featured in the picture above - Gauri is the third).

08 Sept - N Chandrababu Naidu

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NARA CHANDRABABU NAIDU Son-in-law of late N T Rama Rao, Present CM of Andhra Pradesh, Born 20 April, 1950 (age 67 years)
Positions : Was also the CM of Andhra Pradesh (undivided) from 1995-2004 and the leader of opposition in the State Assembly from 2004-2014. He is currently the National President of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP).
Political career : Mr Naidu’s political career started with Congress as a leader of the Youth Congress. Later became an MLA in Andhra state assembly from Chandragiri constituency and was given the Technical Education and Cinematography portfolio as the youngest minister in the cabinet at 28 years. Married the daughter of NT Rama Rao (popularly called NTR), a Telugu film star-turned-politician in 1980. In 1982, NTR formed the TDP and got a landslide victory in state assembly elections in 1983, when Naidu was defeated by a TDP candidate from Chandragiri. He later joined the TDP.
Rise and rise : He rose to prominence in the TDP after he organised a march of TDP MLAs in front of the President of India against NB Rao’s coup against NTR to usurp power in the TDP in 1984. He became the General Secretary of TDP after that. Naidu successfully contested the 1989 and 1994 state elections from the Kuppam constituency, winning on both occasions. Later Naidu himself revolted against NTR in 1995 (after the second marriage of NTR) and succeeded in the courp, soon after which NTR died.
Progressive Policies : He raised power tariffs and cut down food subsidies in against the promise of turning Andhra Pradesh into an ‘Asian Tiger’ in 20 years. He was named South Asian of the Year by Time magazine after he successfully turned around Hyderabad, an impoverished, backward area into India’s new IT hub. He coined the slogan, “Bye bye Bangalore, Hello Hyderabad” in furtherance of his vision.
IT in Governance : Andhra Pradesh even today is one of the most advanced states of India in terms of application of IT and digitisation in the government departments. He received various awards such as IT Indian of the Millennium from India Today, Business Person of the Year by The Economic Times, South Asian of the Year from Time Asia and membership in the World Economic Forum's Dream Cabinet.
Futuristic : Andhra Pradesh has recently announced an MoU with Hyperloop Transportation Technologies for developing a Hyperloop transport corridor from Vijayawada to Amaravati. It will make Andhra Pradesh India’s first state to have such a transportation system.
Assassination attempt : He survived an assassination attempt on 1 October 2003 while traveling to the Lord Venkateswara Temple in the Tirumala Hills to attend the yearly Brahmotsavam festival. His convoy was attacked using a land mine blast. He escaped with minor injuries and fractures.
Controversies : Mr Naidu founded a company in 1992 called Heritage Foods. The name of the Director of the company, MSRV Prasad featured in the Panama Papers - the confidential documents of corporate service provider that got leaked. Naidu faced allegations of money laundering and tax evasion through various shell companies across the world. He has denied all charges. The Panama Papers controversy took the toll of the prime minister in Pakistan, but in India the whole matter has remained completely subdued

Personality of the Day

Personality of the Day

26 July, 2017

27 July, 2017

28 July, 2017

29 July, 2017

31 July, 2017

01 August, 2017

02 August, 2017

03 August, 2017

04 August, 2017

07 August, 2017

08 August, 2017 - Emmanuel Macron

09 August, 2017 - Ahmed Patel

10 August, 2017 - Justice Dipak Misra

11 August, 2017 - Mohd Hamid Ansari

14 August, 2017 - Baba Ramdev

15 August, 2017 - Dr Homi J Bhabha

17 August, 2017 - Masayoshi Son

21 August, 2017 - Vishal Sikka

24 August, 2017 - Hassan Rouhani

25 August, 2017 - Manohar Lal Khattar

28 Aug - Baba Dr Gurmeet Ram Rahim Insaan

30 Aug - P V Sindhu

04 Sept - Nirmala Sitharaman

05 Sept - Rajyawardhan Rathore

06 Sept - Dr. S Radhakrishnan

07 Sept - Gauri Lankesh

08 Sept - N Chandrababu Naidu

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