Who's Who - Important Persons 2025 (Current Appointments)
Why “Who’s Who” is Important
Exam Weightage:
- IBPS PO Mains: 5-8 questions on current appointments
- SBI PO/Clerk: 8-12 questions on heads of organizations
- RRB Officer Scale I: 4-6 questions
Types of Questions Asked:
- “Who is the current RBI Governor?”
- “Who is the CEO of State Bank of India?”
- “Who is the President of India?”
- “Who heads the IMF?”
- “Who won the Nobel Prize in 2024?”
Study Strategy:
- Revise monthly - appointments change frequently
- Focus on banking sector heads (40% weightage)
- Remember both name AND position
- Create flashcards for quick revision
🇮🇳 Indian Government - Constitutional Posts
President, Vice-President, Prime Minister
| Position | Name | Tenure | Key Facts |
|---|---|---|---|
| President of India | Droupadi Murmu | 2022-2027 | 15th President, First tribal woman President, Former Governor of Jharkhand |
| Vice-President of India | Jagdeep Dhankhar | 2022-2027 | 14th Vice-President, Former Governor of West Bengal, Also Chairman of Rajya Sabha |
| Prime Minister of India | Narendra Modi | 2014-present | 14th Prime Minister, Third term (2024-2029), Former CM of Gujarat |
- President’s Official Residence: Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi
- Prime Minister’s Official Residence: 7, Lok Kalyan Marg (formerly Race Course Road), New Delhi
- President’s Term: 5 years (can be re-elected)
Chief Justice of India & Supreme Court
| Position | Name | Assumed Office | Key Facts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice of India (CJI) | Dr. D.Y. Chandrachud | November 9, 2022 | 50th CJI, Retires May 2024 |
Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha
| Position | Name | Key Facts |
|---|---|---|
| Speaker of Lok Sabha | Om Birla | Elected June 2019, Re-elected 2024 |
| Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha | Vacant (as of 2025) | - |
| Chairman of Rajya Sabha | Jagdeep Dhankhar (Vice-President) | Ex-officio position |
| Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha | Harivansh Narayan Singh | Since 2018 |
💼 Union Cabinet Ministers (Key Portfolios)
| Ministry | Minister | Key Responsibilities |
|---|---|---|
| Finance | Nirmala Sitharaman | Budget, taxation, RBI oversight, economic policy |
| Home Affairs | Amit Shah | Internal security, police, border management |
| Defence | Rajnath Singh | Armed forces, defence procurement |
| External Affairs | Dr. S. Jaishankar | Foreign policy, diplomacy |
| Road Transport & Highways | Nitin Gadkari | National highways, road infrastructure |
| Railways | Ashwini Vaishnaw | Also holds Electronics & IT, Communications |
| Commerce & Industry | Piyush Goyal | Trade, exports, consumer affairs |
| Health & Family Welfare | Mansukh Mandaviya | Public health, AYUSH |
| Education | Dharmendra Pradhan | School & higher education |
| Agriculture & Farmers Welfare | Arjun Munda | Farming, agricultural reforms |
| Environment, Forest & Climate Change | Bhupender Yadav | Environmental protection, climate policy |
| Law & Justice | Arjun Ram Meghwal | Legal affairs, judicial reforms |
| Petroleum & Natural Gas | Hardeep Singh Puri | Oil, gas, renewable energy |
| Power | Manohar Lal Khattar | Electricity, renewable energy |
| Civil Aviation | Jyotiraditya Scindia | Airlines, airports |
| Tourism | G. Kishan Reddy | Also holds Culture |
- Finance Minister: Nirmala Sitharaman (first full-time woman Finance Minister)
- External Affairs Minister: Dr. S. Jaishankar
- Home Minister: Amit Shah
🏦 Reserve Bank of India (RBI) - Top Officials
| Position | Name | Tenure | Key Facts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | Shaktikanta Das | Dec 2018 - Present | 25th RBI Governor, Extended till Dec 2024, Former Economic Affairs Secretary |
| Deputy Governor (Monetary Policy) | Michael Debabrata Patra | Jan 2020 - Present | In-charge of monetary policy |
| Deputy Governor (Banking Regulation) | M. Rajeshwar Rao | Oct 2020 - Present | In-charge of supervision, regulation |
| Deputy Governor (Financial Markets) | T. Rabi Sankar | May 2021 - Present | In-charge of payment systems, fintech |
| Deputy Governor | Swaminathan J. | Jan 2024 - Present | In-charge of currency management |
Functions:
- Monetary authority
- Regulator of banking system
- Manager of foreign exchange
- Issuer of currency
- Developmental role
🏛️ Public Sector Banks - MDs & CEOs ⭐⭐⭐
Top 5 PSU Banks
| Bank | MD & CEO | Headquarters | Tagline |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Bank of India (SBI) | Dinesh Kumar Khara | Mumbai | The Banker to Every Indian / Trusted by Millions |
| Punjab National Bank (PNB) | Atul Kumar Goel | New Delhi | The Name You Can Bank Upon |
| Bank of Baroda (BoB) | Debadatta Chand | Vadodara, Gujarat | India’s International Bank |
| Canara Bank | K. Satyanarayana Raju | Bengaluru | Together We Can |
| Union Bank of India | A. Manimekhalai | Mumbai | Good People to Bank With |
Other Major PSU Banks
| Bank | MD & CEO | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|
| Indian Bank | Shanti Lal Jain | Chennai |
| Bank of India (BoI) | Rajneesh Karnatak | Mumbai |
| Central Bank of India | M.V. Rao | Mumbai |
| Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) | Ajay Kumar Srivastava | Chennai |
| UCO Bank | Ashwani Kumar | Kolkata |
| Bank of Maharashtra | A.S. Rajeev | Pune |
| Punjab & Sind Bank | Swarup Kumar Saha | New Delhi |
Largest PSU Bank (by assets): State Bank of India (SBI) Oldest PSU Bank: Allahabad Bank (merged into Indian Bank in 2020)
🏦 Private Sector Banks - MDs & CEOs ⭐⭐⭐
Top Private Banks
| Bank | MD & CEO | Headquarters | Founded |
|---|---|---|---|
| HDFC Bank | Sashidhar Jagdishan | Mumbai | 1994 |
| ICICI Bank | Sandeep Bakhshi | Mumbai | 1994 |
| Axis Bank | Amitabh Chaudhry | Mumbai | 1993 |
| Kotak Mahindra Bank | Ashok Vaswani | Mumbai | 2003 |
| IndusInd Bank | Sumant Kathpalia | Pune | 1994 |
| IDFC First Bank | V. Vaidyanathan | Mumbai | 2015 |
| Bandhan Bank | Partha Pratim Sengupta | Kolkata | 2015 |
| Yes Bank | Prashant Kumar | Mumbai | 2004 |
| Federal Bank | K.V.S. Manian | Kochi | 1931 |
| RBL Bank | R. Subramaniakumar | Mumbai | 1943 |
🏦 Small Finance Banks - CEOs
| Bank | MD & CEO | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|
| AU Small Finance Bank | Sanjay Agarwal | Jaipur |
| Equitas Small Finance Bank | Varadarajan S. | Chennai |
| Ujjivan Small Finance Bank | Ittira Davis | Bengaluru |
| Utkarsh Small Finance Bank | Govind Singh | Varanasi |
| Suryoday Small Finance Bank | Baskar Babu Ramachandran | Mumbai |
🏦 Payment Banks - CEOs
| Bank | MD & CEO | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|
| Paytm Payments Bank | Surinder Chawla | Noida |
| Airtel Payments Bank | Anubrata Biswas | New Delhi |
| India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) | Suresh Sethi | New Delhi |
| Fino Payments Bank | Rishi Gupta | Mumbai |
🌐 International Financial Institutions ⭐⭐⭐
| Organization | Head | Position Title | Headquarters | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| International Monetary Fund (IMF) | Kristalina Georgieva | Managing Director | Washington D.C., USA | Bulgaria |
| World Bank | Ajay Banga | President | Washington D.C., USA | India/USA |
| Asian Development Bank (ADB) | Masatsugu Asakawa | President | Manila, Philippines | Japan |
| New Development Bank (NDB) | Dilma Rousseff | President | Shanghai, China | Brazil |
| Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) | Jin Liqun | President | Beijing, China | China |
| Bank for International Settlements (BIS) | Agustín Carstens | General Manager | Basel, Switzerland | Mexico |
| World Trade Organization (WTO) | Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala | Director-General | Geneva, Switzerland | Nigeria |
- Ajay Banga (World Bank President) is of Indian origin (first Indian-origin head)
- Kristalina Georgieva is the first woman to head IMF from Eastern Europe
- Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is the first woman and first African to head WTO
🌍 United Nations & Specialized Agencies ⭐⭐
| Organization | Head | Position | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Nations (UN) | António Guterres | Secretary-General | New York, USA |
| UNESCO | Audrey Azoulay | Director-General | Paris, France |
| UNICEF | Catherine Russell | Executive Director | New York, USA |
| WHO (World Health Organization) | Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus | Director-General | Geneva, Switzerland |
| UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency) | Filippo Grandi | High Commissioner | Geneva, Switzerland |
| UNDP (UN Development Programme) | Achim Steiner | Administrator | New York, USA |
| UNEP (UN Environment Programme) | Inger Andersen | Executive Director | Nairobi, Kenya |
| ILO (International Labour Organization) | Gilbert F. Houngbo | Director-General | Geneva, Switzerland |
| FAO (Food & Agriculture Organization) | Qu Dongyu | Director-General | Rome, Italy |
| WFP (World Food Programme) | Cindy McCain | Executive Director | Rome, Italy |
- António Guterres (UN Secretary-General) is from Portugal
- Tedros Adhanom (WHO) is from Ethiopia (first African to head WHO)
🏏 International Sports Bodies ⭐⭐
| Organization | Head | Position | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|---|
| International Olympic Committee (IOC) | Thomas Bach | President | Lausanne, Switzerland |
| International Cricket Council (ICC) | Greg Barclay | Chairman | Dubai, UAE |
| FIFA (Football) | Gianni Infantino | President | Zurich, Switzerland |
| FIBA (Basketball) | Hamane Niang | President | Mies, Switzerland |
| World Athletics (Track & Field) | Sebastian Coe | President | Monaco |
| International Tennis Federation (ITF) | David Haggerty | President | London, UK |
| FIDE (Chess) | Arkady Dvorkovich | President | Lausanne, Switzerland |
🇮🇳 Indian Sports Bodies
| Organization | Head | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) | Roger Binny | President |
| BCCI | Jay Shah | Secretary |
| Indian Olympic Association (IOA) | PT Usha | President |
| All India Football Federation (AIFF) | Kalyan Chaubey | President |
| Hockey India | Dilip Tirkey | President |
| All India Tennis Association (AITA) | Anil Jain | President |
- PT Usha - First woman president of IOA, legendary athlete
- Roger Binny - Former Indian cricketer (1983 World Cup winner)
🏛️ Regulatory Bodies in India ⭐⭐
| Organization | Head | Position | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEBI (Securities & Exchange Board) | Madhabi Puri Buch | Chairperson | Mumbai |
| IRDAI (Insurance Regulatory Authority) | Debasish Panda | Chairman | Hyderabad |
| PFRDA (Pension Fund Regulatory Authority) | Deepak Mohanty | Chairman | New Delhi |
| TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority) | Anil Kumar Lahoti | Chairman | New Delhi |
| CCI (Competition Commission of India) | Ravneet Kaur | Chairperson | New Delhi |
| FSSAI (Food Safety Authority) | G. Kamala Vardhana Rao | CEO | New Delhi |
- Madhabi Puri Buch - First woman chairperson of SEBI
- Ravneet Kaur - First woman chairperson of CCI
🏦 NABARD, SIDBI, EXIM Bank ⭐⭐
| Institution | Head | Position | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|---|
| NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture & Rural Development) | K.V. Shaji | Chairman | Mumbai |
| SIDBI (Small Industries Development Bank) | Sivasubramanian Ramann | Chairman & MD | Lucknow |
| EXIM Bank (Export-Import Bank of India) | Harsha Bangari | MD & CEO | Mumbai |
| NHB (National Housing Bank) | Sanjay Kulshrestha | Chairman & MD | New Delhi |
🎖️ Defence Forces - Chiefs ⭐⭐
| Position | Name | Assumed Office |
|---|---|---|
| Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) | General Anil Chauhan | September 2022 |
| Chief of Army Staff (COAS) | General Manoj Pande | April 2022 |
| Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) | Admiral R. Hari Kumar | November 2021 |
| Chief of Air Staff (CAS) | Air Chief Marshal V.R. Chaudhari | September 2021 |
- Indian Army: New Delhi
- Indian Navy: New Delhi
- Indian Air Force: New Delhi
- Integrated Defence Staff HQ: New Delhi
🚀 Space & Scientific Organizations
| Organization | Head | Position | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISRO (Indian Space Research Org) | S. Somanath | Chairman | Bengaluru |
| DRDO (Defence Research & Development) | Samir V. Kamat | Chairman | New Delhi |
| CSIR (Council of Scientific & Industrial Research) | N. Kalaiselvi | Director General | New Delhi |
| DAE (Department of Atomic Energy) | Ajit Kumar Mohanty | Secretary & Chairman, AEC | Mumbai |
| Atomic Energy Commission | Ajit Kumar Mohanty | Chairman | Mumbai |
- S. Somanath - Led successful Chandrayaan-3 mission (2023)
- N. Kalaiselvi - First woman Director General of CSIR
📺 Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) - Key Heads
| PSU | Head | Position | Sector |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) | Shrikant Madhav Vaidya | Chairman | Oil & Gas |
| NTPC | Gurdeep Singh | Chairman & MD | Power |
| Coal India Limited | P.M. Prasad | Chairman | Mining |
| ONGC | Arun Kumar Singh | Chairman & MD | Oil & Gas |
| BHEL | Nalin Shinghal | Chairman & MD | Power Equipment |
| Steel Authority of India (SAIL) | Amarendu Prakash | Chairman | Steel |
| BSNL | Robert J. Ravi | Chairman & MD | Telecom |
| Air India | Campbell Wilson | CEO & MD | Aviation |
| Indian Railways | Jaya Varma Sinha | Chairman, Railway Board | Transport |
| Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) | Siddhartha Mohanty | Chairman | Insurance |
🎓 Key Education & Research Institutions
| Institution | Head | Position |
|---|---|---|
| UGC (University Grants Commission) | Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar | Chairman |
| NCERT | Dinesh Prasad Saklani | Director |
| AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education) | T.G. Sitharam | Chairman |
| NITI Aayog | Narendra Modi (PM) | Chairman |
| NITI Aayog | B.V.R. Subrahmanyam | CEO |
🏆 Nobel Prize Winners 2024 (Recent) ⭐⭐
Nobel Prize 2024 Winners
| Category | Winner(s) | Country | For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physics | Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz, Anne L’Huillier | USA, Germany, France | Experimental methods for attosecond pulses of light |
| Chemistry | Moungi G. Bawendi, Louis E. Brus, Alexei I. Ekimov | USA, USA, USA | Discovery and synthesis of quantum dots |
| Medicine | Katalin Karikó, Drew Weissman | Hungary/USA, USA | Discoveries enabling mRNA COVID-19 vaccines |
| Literature | Jon Fosse | Norway | Innovative plays and prose |
| Peace | Narges Mohammadi | Iran | Fight against oppression of women in Iran |
| Economics | Claudia Goldin | USA | Understanding women’s labor market outcomes |
- Katalin Karikó & Drew Weissman - Crucial role in developing mRNA technology used in COVID vaccines
- Narges Mohammadi - Awarded while imprisoned in Iran
🏅 Bharat Ratna Recipients (Recent)
2024:
- Karpoori Thakur (posthumous) - Former Bihar CM, social justice champion
- Lal Krishna Advani - Senior BJP leader, former Deputy PM
2019:
- Pranab Mukherjee (posthumous, 2020) - Former President
- Nanaji Deshmukh (posthumous) - Social activist
- Bhupen Hazarika (posthumous) - Singer, composer (Assam)
2015:
- Atal Bihari Vajpayee - Former Prime Minister
- Madan Mohan Malaviya (posthumous) - Educationist, founder of BHU
🎬 Recent Academy Awards (Oscars) Winners ⭐
96th Academy Awards (2024)
| Category | Winner | Film |
|---|---|---|
| Best Picture | Oppenheimer | - |
| Best Director | Christopher Nolan | Oppenheimer |
| Best Actor | Cillian Murphy | Oppenheimer |
| Best Actress | Emma Stone | Poor Things |
| Best Supporting Actor | Robert Downey Jr. | Oppenheimer |
| Best Supporting Actress | Da’Vine Joy Randolph | The Holdovers |
- RRR’s “Naatu Naatu” won Best Original Song (2023) - composed by M.M. Keeravani
📝 Quick Revision Flashcards
Copy these for last-minute revision:
QUICK WHO’S WHO - 2025
INDIA: President: Droupadi Murmu VP: Jagdeep Dhankhar PM: Narendra Modi CJI: D.Y. Chandrachud Finance Minister: Nirmala Sitharaman Home Minister: Amit Shah External Affairs: S. Jaishankar
RBI: Governor: Shaktikanta Das 4 Deputy Governors: Michael Patra, M. Rajeshwar Rao, T. Rabi Sankar, Swaminathan J.
TOP BANKS (MD & CEO): SBI: Dinesh Kumar Khara PNB: Atul Kumar Goel Bank of Baroda: Debadatta Chand HDFC Bank: Sashidhar Jagdishan ICICI Bank: Sandeep Bakhshi Axis Bank: Amitabh Chaudhry
INTERNATIONAL: IMF: Kristalina Georgieva World Bank: Ajay Banga WTO: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala UN: António Guterres WHO: Tedros Adhanom
REGULATORS: SEBI: Madhabi Puri Buch IRDAI: Debasish Panda TRAI: Anil Kumar Lahoti
DEFENCE: CDS: Gen. Anil Chauhan Army Chief: Gen. Manoj Pande Navy Chief: Adm. R. Hari Kumar Air Force Chief: ACM V.R. Chaudhari
SPACE/SCIENCE: ISRO: S. Somanath DRDO: Samir V. Kamat CSIR: N. Kalaiselvi
SPORTS: IOC: Thomas Bach ICC: Greg Barclay FIFA: Gianni Infantino BCCI: Roger Binny (President), Jay Shah (Secretary) IOA: PT Usha
💡 Memory Techniques
1. Association Method
Link names to their organizations:
- Das (RBI) → “Das rupee” (currency)
- Banga (World Bank) → “Banga” sounds like “Bank”
- Somanath (ISRO) → “Soma” = Moon (space connection)
2. First Letter Method
For SBI CEO: Dinesh Kumar Khara
- DKK = “Don’t Keep Kash” (bank joke!)
3. Visual Imagery
Imagine the person in their role:
- Nirmala Sitharaman presenting Budget (Finance Minister)
- S. Jaishankar at UN (External Affairs)
4. Grouping Method
Group by sector:
- Banking: Shaktikanta Das, Dinesh Khara, Sashidhar Jagdishan
- International: Ajay Banga, Kristalina Georgieva, António Guterres
- Defence: Anil Chauhan, Manoj Pande, Hari Kumar
🔄 Update Schedule
This page is updated:
- Monthly: For new appointments
- Quarterly: Comprehensive review (Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct)
- Before Major Exams: Special updates
Last Updated: April 2025 Next Update: July 2025
Bookmark this page and check before your exam for latest appointments!
Revision Tips:
- Create flashcards with name on one side, position on other
- Revise weekly - appointments change frequently
- Focus on banking sector (RBI, bank CEOs) - highest weightage
- Check for latest updates 1 week before exam
- Practice 50 MCQs monthly on Who’s Who
Common Exam Patterns:
- “Who is the current RBI Governor?” → Direct question
- “Who heads the IMF?” → Organization-based
- “_____ is the MD & CEO of SBI” → Fill in the blanks
- Match the following: Name → Organization
Keep this page bookmarked for quick pre-exam revision!
BETA
