Daily Current Affairs Notes for 13 February 2023

President Draupadi Murmu named new governors in 13 states

On 12th February, President of India, Droupadi Murmu, accepted the resignations of Bhagat Singh Koshyari as the Governor of Maharashtra and of Radha Krishnan Mathur as the Lt. Governor of Ladakh. Subsequently, she appointed 13 new Governors. The following is a comprehensive list of the newly appointed Governors:

These appointments will become effective from the dates they take over their respective offices.

The fresh appointments

The following individuals have been appointed as Governors of different states in India:

1. Lt. General Kaiwalya Trivikram Parnaik (Retired), Governor of Arunachal Pradesh
2. Lakshman Prasad Acharya, Governor of Sikkim
3. C P Radhakrishnan, Governor of Jharkhand
4. Shiv Pratap Shukla, Governor of Himachal Pradesh
5. S. Abdul Nazeer, Governor of Andhra Pradesh
6. Gulab Chand Kataria, Governor of Assam

Change of states of some current governors

The following Governors have been reassigned to different states:

1. Justice (Retd) Biswa Bhusan Harichandan, previously the Governor of Andhra Pradesh, has been appointed as the Governor of Chhattisgarh.
2. Anusuiya Uikye, previously the Governor of Chhattisgarh, has been appointed as the Governor of Manipur.
3. La. Ganesan, previously the Governor of Manipur, has been appointed as the Governor of Nagaland.
4. Phagu Chauhan, previously the Governor of Bihar, has been appointed as the Governor of Meghalaya.
5. Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, previously the Governor of Himachal Pradesh, has been appointed as the Governor of Bihar.
6. Ramesh Bais, previously the Governor of Jharkhand, has been appointed as the Governor of Maharashtra.
7. Brig (Dr) B D Mishra (Retd), previously the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh, has been appointed as the Lt. Governor of Ladakh.

How are Governors appointed?

• The Constitution of India outlines the role and responsibilities of the Governor of a state through various articles.
• Article 153 states that "There shall be a Governor for each State." The appointment of the Governor of a state is carried out by the President of India, as per Article 155, which states that "the Governor of a State shall be appointed by the President by warrant under his hand and seal".
• As per Article 156, the Governor holds office during the pleasure of the President, with a term of five years. Articles 157 and 158 specify the qualifications and terms of office of the Governor. The Governor must be a citizen of India and must have completed 35 years of age. They should not be a member of Parliament or a State Legislature, and must not hold any other office of profit.
• The position of the Governor is seen as a political head who acts on the advice of the Council of Ministers of the state.

Related Constitutional Articles

The Constitution of India outlines various aspects related to the Governors of states through different articles:

• Article 153 - Deals with the appointment of Governors for each state
• Article 154 - Describes the executive power of the state
• Article 155 - Outlines the process of appointment of Governors
• Article 156 - Specifies the term of office of Governors
• Article 157 - Lists the qualifications required for appointment as Governor
• Article 158 - Defines the conditions of the Governor's office
• Article 159 - Mention the Oath or affirmation to be taken by the Governor
• Article 160 - Describes the Governor's role in certain contingencies
• Article 161 - Grants the Governor the power to grant pardons and other related powers
• Article 162 - Specifies the extent of the executive power of the state
• Article 163 - States that the Council of Ministers is to aid and advise the Governor in carrying out their duties.

The President of India, Droupadi Murmu, accepted the resignation of Bhagat Singh Koshyari as the Governor of Maharashtra, following a strained relationship with the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government led by Uddhav Thackeray. Ramesh Bais was then appointed as the new Governor of Maharashtra. Ramesh Bais previously served as the Governor of Jharkhand.

Ramesh Bais Appointed as the New Governor of Maharashtra, Takes Over Koshyari- Key Points

• Bhagat Singh Koshyari was named as the Governor of Maharashtra in 2019. However, his tenure was marked by strained relationships with the ruling MVA government, consisting of the Shiv Sena, Congress, and NCP. Some of his statements as Governor generated controversies in the state.

About Bhagat Singh Koshyari

Bhagat Singh Koshyari is a veteran Indian politician who held the position of the 22nd Governor of Maharashtra from 2019 to 2023. He has a long association with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and has served as the National Vice-President of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Koshyari was also the first state president of BJP in Uttarakhand and served as the 2nd Chief Minister of Uttarakhand from 2001 to 2002.

Bhagat Singh Koshyari has a diverse political background, having served as a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council and as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly. He went on to represent Uttarakhand in the Rajya Sabha from 2008 to 2014 and later was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) in the 16th Lok Sabha from the Nainital-Udhamsingh Nagar constituency. This earned him the unique distinction of being elected to both houses of the state legislature and both houses of the national parliament.

About Ramesh Bais

Ramesh Bais, a prominent Indian politician, is currently serving as the 23rd Governor of Maharashtra. Prior to this position, he held the post of Governor of Jharkhand from 2021 to 2023 and also served as the Governor of Tripura from 2019 to 2021. Bais is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party and has extensive experience in political roles. He was previously appointed as the Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests in the government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Throughout his political career, Bais has been elected to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian Parliament, seven times. He represented the Raipur constituency and served as a member of the 9th Lok Sabha (1989) and the 11th to 16th Lok Sabha (1996-2019).

Ujjivan Small Finance Bank has introduced Hello Ujjivan, India's premier mobile banking app that incorporates voice, visual, and local language capabilities to serve those who have limited literacy skills. This app aims to foster financial literacy and promote banking practices among micro and rural customers who are not comfortable with digital technology.

More About The Hello Ujjivan Application:

Hello Ujjivan, a mobile banking app developed by Ujjivan Small Finance Bank in collaboration with Navana.AI, is now available in 8 regional languages, including Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, Gujarati, Kannada, Oriya, and Assamese, making it accessible for individuals who are challenged with reading and writing skills.

Features of The Hello Ujjivan Application:

• Ujjivan Small Finance Bank has launched Hello Ujjivan, India's first mobile banking application designed to provide banking services to those who may have limited reading and writing skills. The app, created in collaboration with Navana.AI, features voice, visual, and vernacular capabilities to make banking accessible to micro-banking and rural customers who may be digitally challenged.
• Hello Ujjivan is available in eight regional languages, including Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, Gujarati, Kannada, Oriya, and Assamese. Customers can use their native language to perform banking transactions and access services like paying loan EMIs, opening FD and RD accounts, transferring funds, checking account balances, and updating passbooks, among others.
• The app uses intuitive AI and machine learning to understand customer requests and provide the desired result. It adapts to various dialects of the user and has the ability to learn and respond to their specific dialect. A visual representation, along with a recorded voice guide in the user's preferred language, is provided at every step of the transaction, reducing the anxiety associated with online banking.
• According to Ujjivan Small Finance Bank's research, the app addresses the digital divide in the banking needs, aspirations, and behaviors of micro-banking and rural customers. The bank is using its 600 branches and nearly 9,000 micro-banking and rural banking staff to educate customers on how to use Hello Ujjivan.

The Targeted Customers of The Hello Ujjivan Application:

In its first stage, the Hello Ujjivan app will be accessible to Ujjivan Small Finance Bank's existing MicroBanking clientele. In the future, the bank plans to expand the app's capabilities by incorporating more languages and a wider range of banking services such as account opening, utility bill payment, repeat loan availability, mobile and DTH recharge, among others.

About The Ujjivan Small Finance Bank Growth:

Ujjivan Small Finance Bank has crafted a robust digital plan aimed at making banking services accessible and straightforward for all customers, including those in rural areas who are frequently overlooked. With a network of 600 branches across 25 Indian states and territories, the bank serves over 72 million customers. As of December 31, 2022, its gross loan book is estimated at INR 21,895 crore, with a deposit base of INR 23,203 crore. The bank's digital strategy seeks to bridge the gap between metro and rural customers and ensure that everyone has access to simplified banking services.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

Ujjivan Small Finance Bank Headquarters: Bengaluru;
Ujjivan Small Finance Bank Founder: Samit Ghosh;
Ujjivan Small Finance Bank Founded: 28 December 2004