Noel Tata on Friday was unanimously appointed as the Chairman of Tata Trusts on October 11. He succeeded Ratan Tata, who died on October 9 at the age of 86. Reportedly, the appointment was made during a meeting held in Mumbai and was agreed upon by the board of Tata Trusts.

The Tata Trusts, which holds a controlling 66% stake in Tata Sons, is the holding company of the sprawling Tata Group, and plays a crucial role in the group’s governance. Ratan Tata, who led Tata Trusts and the Tata Group for many years, did not have children and had not named a successor for his position at the Trusts. Hence, the board convened to decide on the next leader.

The move to appoint Noel Tata came just a day after the last rites of Ratan Tata, with the board meeting focusing on both paying homage to Ratan Tata and electing the new chairman. The board’s decision was reportedly in line with Ratan Tata’s philosophy of moving on and ensuring continuity in leadership without delays.

Noel Tata, who is 67-year-old, has been a trustee in the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and the Sir Ratan Tata Trust, which together own the majority stake in Tata Sons. Noel Tata’s long-standing association with the Tata Group and his role within these trusts made him the frontrunner for the chairmanship after Ratan Tata’s death.

Furthermore, the Parsi community, which has traditionally been closely tied to the Tata Group, was in favour of appointing someone with the Tata surname, and Noel Tata was the unanimous choice. Notably, Noel Tata’s appointment is also in line with changes made in 2022, when the Tata Sons board amended its Articles of Association to ensure that the same person could no longer hold the roles of Chairman of both Tata Trusts and Tata Sons, a position Ratan Tata had previously held.

For over 40 years, Noel Tata has been a key figure within the Tata Group. Currently, he is on the boards of multiple Tata Group companies, including Tata International Limited, Voltas and Tata Investment Corporation. Noel Tata also serves as the Vice Chairman of Tata Steel and Titan Company Limited.

Reportedly, Noel Tata graduated from Sussex University in the UK and later completed the International Executive Programme (IEP) from INSEAD, a leading global business school. 

Tata Trusts have two vice-chairmen, Venu Srinivasan of TVS and former Defence Secretary Vijay Singh. They have been in their roles since 2018.

Urging Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to withdraw support from Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the Centre, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Friday slammed BJP after he was stopped from visiting Jayaprakash Narayan International Centre (JPNiC) in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow.

On Thursday, the former Chief Minister was stopped from accessing the statue in the capital by the authorities, sparking protests by Samajwadi Party workers, which continued on Friday when Yadav revisited the site.

Pointing out that many socialist leaders like Kumar are currently supporting the government, Yadav said Nitish Kumar who rose from the movement led by Jai Prakash Narayan should take “this opportunity to withdraw support” from a government that is preventing socialists from paying tribute to their icon.  JD(U), Nitish Kumar’s party, plays a key role in maintaining the NDA government’s parliamentary majority.

Stopped from visiting the JPNIC, at around 10.30 am, a bust of Narayan, mounted on a vehicle, was garlanded by Yadav on the road packed with SP workers, several of them donning red caps and raising slogans and party flags.

Earlier in the day, Yadav retorted sharply at the saffron party and said: “Whether it is the BJP people or their government, their every action is a symbol of negativity. To prevent the Samajwadi people from garlanding the ‘Jai Prakash Narayan Ji’ statue on his birth anniversary like last time, barricades have been put up around our private residence to stop them.”

Yadav accused the BJP of creating hurdles in the path of harmony, peace, reservation, farmers’ welfare, women’s safety, youth development, employment generation, and development of PDAs (pichhde, Dalit, alpsankhyak).

“The BJP has always been against freedom fighters and the freedom movement. They have learnt from the colonial powers and supported them secretly. Everyone is saying today that they don’t want the BJP,” the former CM said.

Hitting out at BJP, he said the BJP has always been against the freedom fighters and the freedom movement. “They have learnt how to block the path by secretly living with the colonial powers and supporting them. Everyone says today, we don’t want BJP!” he added.

This come a day after Yadav was denied permission to visit the JPNIC, citing “construction work and possibility of many insects due to rain”. Yadav hit out at the BJP while standing before the tin barricades.

The JPNIC was inaugurated by Yadav in 2016 during his tenure as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, but construction stalled after the BJP’s victory in 2017.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address at the East Asia Summit stressed the importance of dialogue over conflict, warning that solutions to global problems cannot emerge from the battlefield.

The Prime Minister’s remarks come as the world witnesses rising tensions in the Middle East and eastern Europe due to Israel’s escalations with Iran and its proxies in Gaza and Lebanon, and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

Mentioning that peace and stability should be restored as soon as possible, PM Narendra Modi said that conflicts going on in different parts of the world are having the most negative impact on countries of the Global South.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is attending the ASEAN-India and East Asia summits in Laos to boost ties with ASEAN countries, and echoed his stance that diplomacy and peaceful resolutions are the only path forward. He stated that he comes from the land of Buddha, and has repeatedly said this is not an era of war. He added that solutions to problems cannot come from the battlefield.

PM Narendra Modi advocated for a humanitarian approach to conflicts and reiterated India’s commitment to peace and diplomacy. He mentioned that keeping a humanitarian approach, dialogue and diplomacy will have to be given priority. Fulfilling the responsibility of Vishwa Bandhu (global citizen), India will continue to contribute in every possible way in this direction, he continued.

He also pointed to the growing threat of terrorism, urging for global cooperation to tackle the issue. He added that terrorism is also a serious challenge to global peace and security, and to face it, forces believing in humanity will have to work together. He mentioned that mutual cooperation in the areas of cyber, maritime, and space will also have to be strengthened.

PM Narendra Modi also called for a free, open, inclusive, prosperous, and rule-based Indo-Pacific, signalling India’s ongoing concerns regarding China’s aggressive moves in the region. He underlined that the peace, security, and stability of the South China Sea are vital to the progress of the Indo-Pacific. He emphasized that the approach should be one of developmentalism and not expansionism.