March 2012 Persons

Shyamala Gopinath-Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) on 29 March 2012 appointed Shyamala Gopinath as the Chairperson of the Advisory Board on Bank, Commercial and Financial Frauds. Gopinath, a former Reserve Bank of India Deputy Governor, will hold the position for two years, effective from 26 March 2012. The Board is part of the organisational set-up of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is providing the required investigative and secretarial services, along with necessary funds, by the RBI.

Nansy Powell-The US Senate on 30 March 2012 confirmed career diplomat Nancy Powell as ambassador to India. The position had remained vacant for the past year following the resignation of Timothy Roemer. Powell had previously served as US envoy in Pakistan and Nepal and currently holds the prestigious rank of career ambassador.

JOACHIM GAUCK - Former East German pro-democracy activist Joachim Gauck was elected as Germany's new President, on 18 March 2012. He succeeded Christian Wulff.

ABD-RABBUH MANSOUR HADI - became the President of Yemen, on 27 February 2012. Hadi, a General People's Congress party leader replaced Ali Abdullah Saleh to the position.

Akhilesh Yadav(38)- Akhilesh was sworn in as the 33 rd Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh on 15 March 2012. He was administered the oath by the UP Governor B L Joshi .Akhilesh, son of Samajawadi Party chief, Mulayam Singh Yadav, is the youngest chief minister of the state ever. Samajwadi Party bagged a record 224 seats in a 403-member house which is highest in its history. Vijay Bahuiguna-Vijay Bahuguna of Congress, on 13 March 2012, sworn in as the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand. Bahuguna, a Congress MP from Tehri Gadhwal, is the seventh Chief Minister of Uttarakhand.Bahuguna is a former high court justice. He served as the judge of Bombay and Allahabad high court. Bahuguna is first former High Court judge to become a state’s chief minister.

Prakash Singh Badal -of Shiromani Akali Dal, sworn in as the 31st Chief Minister of Punjab on 14 March 2012. Badal, 85, became the chief minister of the state for record fifth time.He first became the chief minister of Punjab in 1969. At the age of 42, he was the youngest Chief Minister of Punjab.

BIKRAM SINGH - Union Government announced that he would be the next chief of the Army.

Justice H S Bedi -The Supreme Court of India on 2 March 2012 appointed its former judge, as the chairman of the monitoring authority which will investigate the case of 22 alleged fake encounter killings in Gujarat between 2002 and 2006. The monitoring authority will submit its interim report within three months.

S.Narasingarao-He was appointed as the Chairman of the Coal India Ltd. He is presently working as the CMD of Singareni Collieries.

Chandra Bahadur Dangi- A 72-year-old Nepali claims to be the world's shortest man at 56 centimetres (22 inches) in height, entered the Guinness World Records.

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