Master10
Current Affairs Module

Appointments, Resignations & Dignitaries

Executive appointments and transitions across constitutional, statutory, and international bodies reflect institutional leadership and administrative governance. In India, apex designations include the Chief Justice of India, the Chief Election Commissioner, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), the Cabinet Secretary, and the chiefs of the armed forces and regulatory bodies like SEBI and RBI. On the international stage, appointments span heads of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and the World Trade Organization. Understanding the constitutional provisions, tenure guidelines, and selection committees behind these high offices is vital for administrative studies.

Key Concepts & Examination Highlights

  • The Chief Justice of India is appointed by the President of India under Article 124(2) of the Constitution following recommendations of the Supreme Court Collegium.
  • The Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners are appointed under the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners Act, 2023, by a panel comprising the Prime Minister, a Union Cabinet Minister, and the Leader of the Opposition.
  • The Comptroller and Auditor General of India is appointed under Article 148 and holds office for a term of 6 years or until reaching 65 years of age.
  • Ajay Banga assumed office as the 14th President of the World Bank in June 2023, becoming the first Indian-American to lead the institution.
  • Justice D. Y. Chandrachud assumed office as the 50th Chief Justice of India on 9 November 2022, succeeding Justice U. U. Lalit.
  • Rajiv Kumar assumed charge as the 25th Chief Election Commissioner of India in May 2022, heading the three-member Election Commission.
  • Shaktikanta Das was appointed as the 25th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India in December 2018 and received an 'A+' grade in Central Banker Report Cards.
  • General Anil Chauhan assumed office as India's second Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) in September 2022, following the demise of General Bipin Rawat.
  • T. V. Somanathan was appointed as the Cabinet Secretary of India in August 2024, succeeding Rajiv Gauba as India's senior-most civil servant.
  • Kristalina Georgieva was re-elected for a second consecutive five-year term as the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), effective October 2024.
  • Antonio Guterres of Portugal was appointed to a second five-year term as Secretary-General of the United Nations, running from 2022 through 2026.
  • Justice Sanjiv Khanna was appointed as the 51st Chief Justice of India, succeeding Justice D.Y. Chandrachud upon his retirement in November 2024.
  • Droupadi Murmu was sworn in as the 15th President of India in July 2022, becoming the first tribal woman and the youngest person to hold the nation's highest constitutional office.
  • Jagdeep Dhankhar was sworn in as the 14th Vice President of India and ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha in August 2022.
  • Om Birla was re-elected as the Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha in June 2024, becoming only the second Speaker after Balram Jakhar to complete a full term and be re-elected.
  • R. Venkataramani was appointed as the 16th Attorney General for India in October 2022 under Article 76 of the Constitution, succeeding K.K. Venugopal.
  • Tushar Mehta was re-appointed as the Solicitor General of India for a period of three years in July 2023.
  • Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu were appointed as Election Commissioners in March 2024 under the new Chief Election Commissioner Act, 2023.
  • K. Sanjay Murthy was appointed as the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India in November 2024, succeeding Girish Chandra Murmu.
  • General Upendra Dwivedi assumed charge as the 30th Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) in June 2024, succeeding General Manoj Pande.
  • Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi assumed charge as the 26th Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) in April 2024, succeeding Admiral R. Hari Kumar.
  • Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh took charge as the 28th Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) in September 2024, succeeding Air Chief Marshal V.R. Chaudhari.
  • Masatsugu Asakawa served as the President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), headquartered in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines.
  • Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of Nigeria serves as the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), becoming the first woman and first African to lead the organization.
  • Claudia Sheinbaum was sworn in as the first female President of Mexico in October 2024.
  • Praveen Sood, former Director General of Police of Karnataka, was appointed as the Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in May 2023 for a two-year tenure.
  • Suman Bery assumed charge as the Vice Chairperson of NITI Aayog in May 2022, succeeding Dr. Rajiv Kumar.
  • B.V.R. Subrahmanyam took charge as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NITI Aayog in February 2023, succeeding Parameswaran Iyer.
  • Ajit Doval was reappointed as the National Security Advisor (NSA) to the Prime Minister of India for a third consecutive term in June 2024.
  • Dr. S. Somanath served as the Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Secretary of the Department of Space, leading the Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya-L1 missions.
  • Gita Gopinath served as the First Deputy Managing Director (FDMD) of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), having previously served as the IMF's Chief Economist.
  • Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of Ethiopia was re-elected for a second five-year term as the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2022.
  • Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, served as the President of the COP28 UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai in 2023.
  • Preeti Sudan, former Union Health Secretary, was appointed as the Chairperson of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in August 2024.
  • V.K. Saxena was appointed as the 22nd Lieutenant Governor of Delhi in May 2022, succeeding Anil Baijal.
  • Manoj Sinha continued serving as the Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, administering regional developmental initiatives.
  • C.P. Radhakrishnan assumed charge as the Governor of Maharashtra in July 2024, having previously served as Governor of Jharkhand.
  • Justice Prakash Shrivastava, former Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court, assumed office as the Chairperson of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in August 2023.
  • Arun Kumar Mishra, former Judge of the Supreme Court of India, served as the Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of India.
  • Ravneet Kaur assumed charge as the Chairperson of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) in May 2023.
  • Hitesh Kumar S. Makwana was appointed as the Surveyor General of India in November 2023 under the Department of Science and Technology.
  • Amitabh Kant served as India's G20 Sherpa during India's G20 Presidency in 2023, steering the New Delhi Leaders' Declaration negotiations.
  • Harsh Vardhan Shringla served as the Chief Coordinator for India's G20 Presidency in 2023.
  • Sanjay Malhotra served as the Revenue Secretary of India in the Ministry of Finance.
  • T.V. Somanathan served as Finance Secretary of India prior to his appointment as the Cabinet Secretary in August 2024.
  • Ajay Kumar Bhalla completed a long tenure as Union Home Secretary before Govind Mohan was appointed as the new Union Home Secretary in August 2024.
  • Vikram Misri, former Ambassador to China and Deputy NSA, assumed charge as India's Foreign Secretary in July 2024, succeeding Vinay Mohan Kwatra.
  • Vinay Mohan Kwatra was appointed as India's Ambassador to the United States in July 2024 following his tenure as Foreign Secretary.
  • Indra Mani Pandey assumed charge as the Secretary General of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) in January 2024.
  • Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, assumed charge as the Chief Adviser of the interim government of Bangladesh in August 2024.
Curriculum & Reference Sources: Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Supreme Court of India, and World Bank Group.

Sample Solved Questions & Concept Explanations

8 Verified Concept Questions
Q1.EASY

Who is the 15th President of India, who assumed office in July 2022 as the first tribal woman and youngest person to hold the nation's highest constitutional office?

Q2.EASY

Who serves as the 14th Vice-President of India and ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, assuming office in August 2022?

Q3.EASY

Who assumed office as the 50th Chief Justice of India (CJI) in November 2022, serving a prominent two-year tenure until November 2024?

Q4.EASY

Who is the current Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), who was awarded the "A+" grade in Global Finance's Central Banker Report Cards?

Q5.EASY

Who is the current Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) of the Indian Army, assuming office in June 2024?

Q6.EASY

Who is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, who led the Labour Party to a landslide victory in the general election in July 2024?

Q7.MEDIUM

Who was appointed as the 25th Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India in May 2022, overseeing the landmark 2024 General Elections across 543 Lok Sabha constituencies?

Q8.MEDIUM

Who was appointed as the 28th Controller General of Accounts (CGA) of India under the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance?