Lt. Gen. Upendra Dwivedi has been named the next Chief of the Army Staff, succeeding General Manoj Pande, the government announced Tuesday night. Dwivedi is currently serving as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff.

The new Army chief will assume his position on June 30, the same day General Pande retires. Last month, the government extended General Pande’s tenure by one month, just six days before his scheduled retirement on May 31, leading to speculation that Lt. Gen. Dwivedi might be passed over for the top role.

In an official statement, the defence ministry said, “The government has appointed Lt. Gen. Upendra Dwivedi, presently serving as Vice Chief of the Army Staff, as the next Chief of the Army Staff with effect from the afternoon of June 30.”

Who is Lt Gen Dwivedi?

1) Lt. Gen. Dwivedi has extensive operational experience along the borders with China and Pakistan. Before becoming Vice Chief of Army Staff on February 19, he served as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Northern Command from 2022 to 2024.

2) Born on July 1, 1964, he attended Sainik School in Rewa and was commissioned into the 18 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles regiment of the Indian Army on December 15, 1984. He eventually commanded the unit, according to PTI.

3) Throughout his nearly 40-year career, he has held various command, staff, instructional, and international positions.

4) His command roles include leading the 18 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles regiment, the 26 Sector Assam Rifles Brigade, serving as Inspector General of Assam Rifles (East), and commanding the 9 Corps.

5) As a Lieutenant General, he has held significant roles such as Director General Infantry. He has been awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, and three GOC-in-C Commendation Cards.

6) As Northern Army Commander, Lt. Gen. Dwivedi provided strategic direction and operational oversight for planning and conducting operations along the northern and western borders and coordinated counter-terrorism efforts in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.

7) He is actively involved in ongoing negotiations with China to resolve the border issue.

8) He played a key role in modernizing and equipping the largest Army command in the Indian Army, steering the induction of indigenous equipment as part of Atmanirbhar Bharat.

9) An alumnus of the National Defence College and the US Army War College, Lt. Gen. Dwivedi has also completed courses at the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, and the Army War College, Mhow.

10) He holds an MPhil in defence and management studies and master’s degrees in strategic studies and military science.

India dropped two places to 129th in the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Gender Gap index. According to the rankings released on June 12, Iceland remained at the top.

In South Asia, India ranked fifth, while Pakistan was last among neighboring countries—Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan.

On social media platform X (formerly Twitter), the WEF noted only a slight improvement in the global gender gap. “The @wef’s Global #GenderGap24 report is now live. It shows only a slight improvement in the global gap, with parity still five generations away at current rates of progress. However, in a historical election year, improving the #political participation of #women could have a significant impact,” it stated.

Globally, among 146 economies, Sudan was last, with Pakistan at 145th, falling three spots this year.

India was among the countries with the lowest levels of economic equality, alongside Bangladesh, Sudan, Iran, Pakistan, and Morocco, all registering less than 30 percent gender parity in estimated earned income. The report also showed declines in ‘Educational Attainment’ and ‘Political Empowerment,’ with India falling two spots from 127th last year.

“Despite some bright spots, the slow and incremental gains highlighted in this year’s Global Gender Gap Report underscore the urgent need for a renewed global commitment to achieving gender parity, particularly in economic and political spheres,” WEF Managing Director Saadia Zahidi was quoted by PTI.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will depart for Italy on Thursday to attend the 50th G7 Summit. During his visit, Modi is also scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. This marks the prime minister’s first overseas trip since beginning his third consecutive term.

“At the invitation of the Prime Minister of Italy (Giorgia Meloni), Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be traveling to Apulia, Italy tomorrow to participate in the 50th G7 Summit on June 14, where India has been invited as an Outreach Country,” stated Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra on Wednesday.

“This will be the prime minister’s first overseas travel after assuming office in his third consecutive term. It will also afford him an opportunity to engage with other world leaders present at the G7 Summit on issues important to India and the Global South,” he added.

Kwatra mentioned that this will be India’s 11th participation in the G7 Summit and the 5th consecutive participation by PM Modi.

He noted that Modi’s participation in the G7 Summit would provide an opportunity to follow up on the outcomes of the G20 Summit held under India’s presidency last year.

“Prime Minister’s participation in the G7 Summit would also provide a timely opportunity to follow up on outcomes of the G20 Summit held under India’s presidency last year and deliberate on issues significant for the Global South,” he said.

Modi will participate in the Outreach session along with other invited countries on June 14.

“At this session, the focus will be on Artificial Intelligence, Energy, Africa, and the Mediterranean. It will be a block agenda item where the G7 and the Outreach Countries will share their views and perspectives,” the foreign secretary said.

Last year, PM Modi attended the G7 summit in Hiroshima, where he held talks with Zelenskyy and other world leaders on the sidelines of the summit.

The owners of Haldiram Snacks Pvt Ltd. are considering an initial public offering (IPO) for the food producer and restaurant operator after plans to sell to foreign investors stalled, according to a Bloomberg report.

The Agarwal family is exploring a listing because bids ranging from $8 billion to $8.5 billion did not meet their valuation expectation of around $12 billion, sources revealed anonymously due to the private nature of the information.

In May, Haldiram’s received bids from a Blackstone Inc.-led consortium, which included the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and GIC Pte, as well as from a consortium led by Bain & Co. and Temasek Holdings Pte, according to local media reports.

The IPO considerations are still in the preliminary stages, and the controlling shareholders might still decide to lower their asking price and proceed with a sale, the sources added.

India has become a hotspot for IPOs, raising approximately $3.9 billion so far this year—double the amount raised during the same period in 2023 and surpassing the combined totals of Hong Kong and Korea, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Founded by Ganga Bishan Agarwal in the 1930s in North India, Haldiram’s offers a variety of foods, including sweet and savory snacks, frozen meals, and breads. The company also operates 43 restaurants in and around Delhi, according to its website.

Days after the Supreme Court directed the Himachal Pradesh government to urgently release 137 cusecs of surplus drinking water to Delhi, the Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB) informed the court on Monday that there is no way to measure Himachal’s compliance. The state lacks storage facilities to measure the additional flow, and no data is available to verify the surplus water released after meeting its own requirements.

A vacation bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice PK Mishra, adjourned the hearing to June 12 because a copy of the UYRB report was not before it. The Haryana government, also party to the proceedings, claimed to have submitted a document to the court. The bench reprimanded the Delhi government for not addressing a filing defect noted by the registry, which prevented the court from receiving reports and applications.

Justice PB Varale, also on the bench, remarked, “The defects were pointed out last week and still they have not been removed.” Addressing the Delhi government, represented by senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Shadan Farasat (virtually), and advocate Talha Abdul Rehman (physically present), the bench warned, “You cannot take this court for a ride. Let the office verify if you have removed the defects. If not, this petition will be dismissed.” Rehman assured the court that the defects would be resolved by the end of the day.

Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Vikramjit Banerjee, representing the Centre and UYRB, along with senior advocate Wasim Qadri, informed the court that the Board had filed its status report in accordance with the June 6 order. This order required Himachal Pradesh to supply 137 cusecs of surplus water to Delhi and directed Haryana to ensure the surplus water received at Hathnikund Barrage (HKB) reaches Delhi via Wazirabad. The Board was instructed to measure the surplus flow at HKB and report compliance.

The UYRB report stated, “Himachal Pradesh does not have any storage from where it can release the additional water amounting to 137 cusecs in pursuance to the June 6 order.” The report also noted, “The complete information ascertaining the utilization by HP has not been supplied (to the UYRB)…in the absence of which the board is not in a position to estimate the unutilized share of the state of HP which they want to share with the national capital territory of Delhi and pass through the state of Haryana.”

The Board further informed the court that it had written to both the Haryana and Himachal Pradesh governments to establish modalities for measuring the excess flow at HKB. While Haryana responded, Himachal Pradesh did not. A letter from HP Jal Shakti Vibhag to its Haryana counterpart on June 6 stated that “137 cusecs of unutilized water is already flowing uninterruptedly from HP to HKB in river Yamuna.”

The Board concluded, “It therefore emerges that HP is not releasing any additional water subsequent to the order of Supreme Court on June 6 which could be measured by UYRB.” This was supported by inflow data at HKB from June 6, which showed variations in the recorded cusecs, indicating no significant change in water flow post the order.

Senior advocate Shyam Divan, representing the Haryana government, informed the court that the state had also filed a response, which was not available to the court.

Recognizing the importance of reviewing the reports amidst extensive media coverage, the court noted, “There is so much reporting in the media and if we do not read the files, then the media reports can impress us, which is not a good thing.”