Awards, Honours & Persons in News Current Affairs MCQs

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Columbia University announced the 2024 Pulitzer Prize winners on May 7. The prestigious award, established by Joseph Pulitzer in 1904, recognizes excellence in journalism, arts, and culture. Winners are selected by the Pulitzer Prize Board, with categories spanning journalism and arts. The ceremony, to be held later, will see recipients honored by the university president. This year’s winners join a legacy dating back to the first prize in 1917.

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Kamla Beniwal, Rajasthan’s first female minister, passed away at 97 on May 15, 2024, in Jaipur. Born in 1927 in Jhunjhunu district, she was a freedom fighter, earning a BA from Maharaja College and an MA from Banasthali Vidyapeeth. In 1952, she became an MLA, serving seven terms. At 27, she became Rajasthan’s first female minister. She held various ministerial roles in Congress governments, including deputy chief minister in 2003.

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IN-SPACe, India’s National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre, received the Geospatial World Forum Leadership Award for “Public Policy: Enabling Industry Development” at the 2024 event in Rotterdam. Rajeev Jyoti and Kriti Khatri accepted the honor on behalf of IN-SPACe. The award recognizes their groundbreaking efforts in advancing India’s space sector and supporting non-government entities. GWF Leadership Awards commend innovation and contributions to the global geospatial field since 2007.

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Senior advocate Kapil Sibal won the SCBA presidency for the fourth term, securing 1,066 votes. He succeeds Adish C. Aggarwala. Pradeep Rai was the runner-up. Vikrant Yadav was elected secretary. Sibal previously served as president in 2001 and had two stints in the late 1990s. Jairam Ramesh hailed it as a win for liberal, secular, democratic, and progressive forces. Other contenders were Priya Hingorani, Tripurari Ray, and Neeraj Srivastava.

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Arti, an 18-year-old E-rickshaw driver from Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich district, received the Amal Clooney Women’s Empowerment Award from King Charles III at Buckingham Palace. She arrived in her Pink E-rickshaw, provided under UP’s Mission Shakti scheme. Sponsored by Prince Trust International, the award recognizes young women’s achievements despite challenges. Named after barrister Amal Clooney, it honors Arti’s work inspiring girls in her community through the Pink E-rickshaw initiative.

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Naik Dhananjay Kumar Singh, a UN peacekeeper serving in Congo, was posthumously awarded the Dag Hammarskjold medal during the UN’s International Day of Peacekeepers. The medal, established in 1997, honors peacekeepers who sacrificed their lives under the UN’s authority. Named after Dag Hammarskjöld, it’s awarded annually to nations losing peacekeepers. The ceremony takes place at the UN headquarters. Singh’s recognition highlights the dedication of peacekeepers worldwide.

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Krishna Prakash, renowned for leading Mumbai Police’s counterterrorism unit, Force One, has received the Annual Hindi Sahitya Bharati Award at Mumbai’s Sab Me Ram Shashwat Shri Ram event. Known as a “super cop,” Prakash heads the elite Force One and is a two-time Guinness World Record holder. His third record involved initiating the maximum number of letters through postcards to Lord Ram, facilitating direct connections between the common man and the divine.

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The 2024 Kavli Prize winners were announced, honoring contributions in astrophysics, neuroscience, and nanoscience. David Charbonneau and Sara Seager received the astrophysics prize for exoplanet discoveries. In nanoscience, Robert Langer, Armand Paul Alivisatos, and Chad Mirkin were awarded for biomedical breakthroughs. In neuroscience, Nancy Kanwisher, Winrich Freiwald, and Doris Tsao were recognized for their pioneering work on facial recognition and brain mapping. The prizes, established in 2008, commemorate Fred Kavli.

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In 2024, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) received the “Risk Manager of the Year Award” from Central Banking in London. This accolade recognizes RBI’s efforts in enhancing risk management policies and ensuring financial stability in India. Mr. Manoranjan Mishra, RBI’s Executive Director, accepted the award, highlighting RBI’s achievements in risk culture and setting benchmarks for global central banks in effective risk management practices.

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Former Odisha Governor Murlidhar Chandrakant Bhandare, aged 95, passed away on June 15. He was a senior Congress leader from Maharashtra, served three terms in the Rajya Sabha, and practiced as a Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court. Bhandare’s tenure as Governor of Odisha spanned from August 2007 to March 2013. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and former CM Naveen Patnaik expressed deep sorrow at his demise.