News in Short

• Indian Railways has cancelled around 42 passenger trains so far to ensure faster delivery to and from coal producing regions of Chattisgarh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand.
• The Central Electricity Authority's (CEA) daily coal stock report states that 56 of 165 thermal power stations are left with 10 per cent or less coal.
• The shortage has resulted in power crisis in many states. States have been forced to resort to power cuts amidst rise in demand due to heatwaves.

• After three unsuccessful attempts at disinvesting its stake in the helicopter services provider, the government approved the sale of Pawan Hans Ltd.
• The company was sold to Star9 Mobility Pvt Ltd — a three-way consortium between Big Charter Private Limited, Maharaja Aviation Private Limited and Almas Global Opportunity Fund SPC.
• This disinvestment is the second major sale from the government’s aviation portfolio in the last 12 months after Air India went to Tata Group.

• Double Olympic medallist P V Sindhu ended her Badminton Asia Championships campaign with a bronze medal.
• Sindhu lost the match against Akane Yamaguchi. India's challenge at the individual continental championship has ended.
• This is Sindhu’s second medal in the tournament – she had claimed a bronze in the 2014 Gimcheon edition.

• Gen Manoj Pande took charge as the 29th Chief of the Army Staff after incumbent Gen MM Naravane retired from service.
• Gen Pande, who was serving as the vice chief, became the first officer from the Corps of Engineers to helm the force.
• Gen Pande was heading the Eastern Army Command, tasked with guarding the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh sectors.

• The Army’s Director General of Military Operations, Lt. Gen. B.S. Raju, has been appointed the next Vice Chief of the Army Staff.
• The current Vice Chief, Lt. Gen. Manoj Pande is set to take over as the next Army Chief on April 30 from incumbent Gen. Manoj Naravane.
• Lt. Gen. Raju is an alumnus of Sainik School Bijapur and National Defence Academy. He was commissioned in the JAT Regiment on December 15, 1984.