SEAR/PR/1616
New Delhi : A former top Indian bureaucrat and ex-Governor of Manipur and Mizoram states, Vinod Kumar Duggal, has been appointed to the World Health Organization’s Advisory Group to strengthen response to outbreaks and emergencies with health and humanitarian consequences. He is the only representative from WHO South-East Asia Region in the Advisory Group to WHO Director General Dr Margaret Chan and will be serving the organization on an honorary basis.
Chaired by Dr David Nabarro, the United Nations Secretary-General Special Envoy on Ebola, the Advisory Group comprises of high-level experts in large-scale emergency response, disaster preparedness, disease outbreak control and crisis coordination. The members are senior officials of United Nations agencies, government and international humanitarian non-governmental organizations.
An Indian Administrative Service Officer of 1968 batch, Mr Duggal has held top positions like the Home Secretary, Government of India, and has extensive experience in leading and coordinating response to disasters and outbreaks such as reconstruction and rehabilitation post 2004 tsunami; the earthquake in Jammu and Kashmir in 2005, flash floods in Uttarakhand in 2013 and cyclone Phailin in Orissa in 2013.
“I am happy to share, at the global level my knowledge gained through long years of experience in the field of emergencies and disaster management in India with the aim to strengthen capacities to respond to outbreaks and crisis,” Mr Duggal said.
Mr Duggal drafted the legislation for setting up of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the apex body for disaster management in India, which was created during his tenure as the Home Secretary, Government of India.
His experience in handling response to disease outbreaks dates back to 1996-97 dengue epidemic in the national capital Delhi, when he was the Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.