At UN India slams veto use to protect terrorists
UNITED NATIONS: India on Wednesday criticised the UN Security Council’s veto-wielding members for anonymously obstructing the designation of terrorists without giving any reason, a veiled attack on China for repeatedly blocking its bid to list Pakistan-based Masood Azhar as a global terrorist.
Participating in an open debate of the Security Council on its working methods, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Syed Akbaruddin said, “Most of the time, one does not even know which countries have exercised their veto.”
He said the veto power being exercised by members of the Security Council who have been anonymously blocking the designation of several terrorists without giving any explanation.
Though Akbaruddin did not mention the name of any country, it is well known that China in the past has used its veto power when it came to designating terrorists or extremist groups having links with the Pakistani establishment.
A veto-wielding permanent member of the UN Security Council, China has repeatedly blocked India’s move at the UN to designate JEM chief Azhar a terrorist under the Al-qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council.
Akbaruddin said there were 14 sanctions committees, which cumulatively listed 678 individuals and 385 entities subject to such measures.
Yet, each of those decisions had been made “beyond the gaze” of public knowledge, with no explanation of the inputs that had informed them, he said. “For example, in practical terms, decisions of these sanctions committees can be placed on hold or blocked by any of the 15 Member States of these Committees,” he said.
“The challenges related to the working methods of the sanctions committees were not merely related to transparency and accountability and in that context, a case existed for the Council to address the anomalies in the committees working methods,” he said.
The anomalies not only affected the efficiency and credibility of the work of the Council but also impacted the larger membership that was required to implement its decisions, he said.
“It is in this spirit that my country along with so many others has called for the reform of the Security Council,” Akbaruddin said.
His view was shared by Bolivia s representative, who said the success of sanctions hinged on cooperation by all Member States. Yet the details of those regimes were not easily accessible or transparent, including for States being sanctioned. NEW DELHI: Acting on the direction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to promote the use of traditional medicines to put a check on lifestyle-based diseases; the Ministry of Ayush has included anti-diabetes medicines developed by Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), and the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) in ongoing National Health Programme for Prevention of diabetes.
According to Ayush Minister Shripad Yesso Naik, a programme has been started in three districts of the country on a pilot project basis to establish the benefits of the Ayurvedic drug in controlling diabetics. The government has included anti-diabetes drug BGR-34 and CCRAS developed Ayurveda-82 in the programme which has been started in three districts of the country on a pilot project basis.
In a written reply to a question in the Parliament, Naik said that the CCRAS has started this programme in collaboration with the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), which is a first time when integrated treatment therapy is being used to prevent any disease.
According to Naik, the Health Ministry has started the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes and Stroke (NPCDCS) for prevention of diabetes, hypertension and cancer. Under the initiative, people are diagnosed with diabetes, cancer and high blood pressure and afflicted one is treated.
“As both the medicines are developed by well-established research institutions, the drugs have been found very effective in controlling diabetic of every stage. The BGR-34 has now been even prescribed by allopathic practitioners, which is enough to explain the efficacy of the drug,” said Sanchit Sharma, who represents Aimil Pharmaceuticals.
The treatment facility has been started by the inclusion of integrated AYUSH medicines in 52 community health centres of three districts of Bhilwara (Rajasthan), Surendranagar (Gujarat) and Gaya (Bihar). Out of 2.5 lakh patients who were examined till December 2017, 23,697 diabetes patients are being treated ayurvedic drugs.