Major News and Events of 09 February 2016

While the last day for application for both general and economically weaker section (EWS) category students ended on 5 February, the date for submitting nursery admission application forms for children above four years of age ends today. This extension became operational after the Delhi high court quashed the upper age limit category that was introduced by the AAP-led Delhi government.

Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag visited the Siachen Avalanche survivor Lance Naik Hanamanthappa in the Research and Referral Hospital in Delhi.While his condition is reported critical, he is stable and currently undergoing an array of tests. Hanamanthappa was flown to Delhi in a C-17 aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) for treatment.  

Already associated with Kings XI Punjab team since IPL season 4, South African batsman David Miller has been chosen as the captain of the team for the upcoming Indian Premier League season 9. Kings XI coach Sanjay Bangar has also expressed his confidence about Miller’s tremendous potential as a leader. The exemplary batting skills and a cool temperament make Miller an excellent asset for Kings XI Punjab team.

A committee headed by Vice President Hamid Ansari has chosen Bollywood actor Kajol as a part-time member of the Prasar Bharati Board. The committee has also nominated Shashi Shekhar Vempati, who has over a decade-and-half long experience of working with Infosys, and currently heads a reputed online media company. The two nominations have been decided by a three-member committee headed by the Vice President, Press Council of India chief Prasad and I&B secretary Sunil Arora.

Following the footsteps of his professional buddies, Irfan Pathan also married a twenty-one-year-old model from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Pathan exchanged wedding vows with Safa Baig in a low key ceremony that took place last Thursday in Mecca. The thirty-one-year-old Irfan Pathan last played for India in the year 2012 and recently led Baroda to the Syed Mustaq Ali Trophy against Uttar Pradesh. 

In Tamil Nadu’s Vellore, a man has reportedly been killed by a meteorite. While scientists are still investigating the incident, Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa has quoted that the deceased was a bus driver at a college and after sustaining serious injuries, he died while on the way to the hospital.  A compensation of Rs. 1 lakh has also been offered to the man’s family.

While the army teams sifted through the huge mass of ice in Siachen, they miraculously found one of their colleagues Hanamanthappa alive even after being buried under 25 feet of snow and in temperatures close to minus forty degrees. It was after an avalanche on the Siachen Glacier on 3 February, 2016 that Lance Naik Hanamanthappa and nine other army soldiers were buried beneath the snow.