APPOINTMENTS

Rahul Navin has been appointed as Director of Enforcement Directorate.

• Rahul Navin, a 1993 batch IRS officer, has been appointed as the new Director of the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

• The Directorate of Enforcement operates under the Union Finance Ministry.

• Before becoming Director, Navin served as the Special Director of the Enforcement Directorate.

• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved Navin's appointment for a two-year term.

• Rahul Navin joined the ED in November 2019 as a Special Director (OSD).

• The Enforcement Directorate investigates money laundering and foreign exchange law violations.

• Navin took over as acting Director of the ED after Sanjay Kumar Mishra's tenure ended in September 2023.

• The Directorate enforces laws such as FEMA 2019, Fugitive Economic Offenders Act 2018, and certain aspects of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Goalkeeper PR Sreejesh will be the new head coach of India's junior men's team.

• Hockey India has appointed PR Sreejesh, the retiring goalkeeper, as the head coach of the junior men's hockey team.

• Sreejesh played a key role in securing India's bronze medal by defeating Spain 2-1 at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

• Following the 2024 Olympics, PR Sreejesh announced his retirement from professional hockey.

• India secured its second consecutive Olympic bronze medal in men's hockey.

• Sreejesh was honored with the prestigious Khel Ratna in 2021.

• He previously received the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award, in 2017.

• His brilliant performance as the Indian goalkeeper was instrumental in the Olympic victory.

• The decision to appoint Sreejesh as head coach comes after his celebrated career as one of India's top goalkeepers.

SUMMIT AND CONFERENCES

The 28th Central and State Statistical Organizations Conference concluded in New Delhi.

• The 28th Central and State Statistical Organizations Conference was held in New Delhi.

• The conference was organized by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

• Union Minister Rao Inderjit Singh inaugurated the event.

• The theme focused on 'Use of Data for Decision Making - Strengthening State Statistical System.'

• Participants included representatives from over 30 Central Ministries and departments, as well as State and Union Territories.

• The conference addressed a variety of topics of mutual interest to both Central and State Government departments.

• Strengthening the State Statistical System was a key focus of the discussions.

• The event aimed at improving the use of data for informed decision-making at various government levels.

SPORTS

Badminton World Federation (BWF) suspended para shuttler Pramod Bhagat.

• Pramod Bhagat, the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic gold medalist, has been suspended by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) for 18 months.

• His suspension is due to three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period, as determined by the Anti-Doping Division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

• Bhagat's suspension will last until September 1, 2025, barring him from all badminton-related activities.

• As a result of the suspension, Bhagat will be unable to participate in the Paris Paralympics 2024.

• The BWF officially announced that Pramod Bhagat's suspension is due to breaches of anti-doping regulations.

• Bhagat, an SL3 category player, had won gold in the men's singles SL3 category at the Tokyo Paralympics.

• He appealed the CAS decision to the Appeals Division, but the appeal was dismissed in July 2024.

• The BWF cited whereabouts failures as the reason behind Bhagat's suspension.

MISCELLANEOUS

NPCI incorporated NPCI BHIM Services as a wholly-owned subsidiary.

• NPCI established a new subsidiary, NPCI-BHIM Services Ltd (NBSL), with BHIM as a wholly-owned entity.

• Lalitha Nataraj, who has prior experience with IDFC FIRST Bank and ICICI Bank, is appointed as the CEO of NBSL.

• Rahul Handa will serve as the Chief Business Officer (CBO) of NPCI-BHIM Services Ltd (NBSL).

• NPCI-BHIM Services Ltd (NBSL) is a newly incorporated entity under the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).

• Rahul Handa previously held the position of Executive Vice President at Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).

• PhonePe and Google Pay currently handle around 85% of the UPI transaction volumes in India.

• Lalitha Nataraj has been selected as the CEO of NBSL, bringing her expertise from IDFC FIRST Bank and ICICI Bank.

• NBSL is a new arm of NPCI focused on enhancing the Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM) services.