Delhi Confidential: The Hague Assignment

G C Murmu, who is India’s Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), has been appointed as external auditor of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) at The Hague. He will be the auditor of the OPCW for a three-year term starting in 2021. The appointment was made through an election process at the OPCW Conference on Wednesday where India received support ahead of others to be appointed as the External Auditor. Murmu, who was aide to then chief minister Narendra Modi, was handpicked to become the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir after the revocation of Article 370. As CAG, he has earlier been named as the auditor of UN’s panel of external auditors and is also auditor to the Inter-parliamentary union.

Screen Debut

EDUCATION MINISTER Ramesh Pokhriyal is often heard talking about his daughter Arushi’s interests in the arts. The 34-year-old is an Indian classical dancer and runs a non-profit organisation. She is now set to make her debut on the small screen. Apparently, Arushi will be seen in a T-Series music video to be released on YouTube this week. The music video will feature her alongside actor Himansh Kohli.

Visit Called Off

THE FRESH wave of Covid-19 in India and Japan have led to cancellation of a possible visit by Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga. He was supposed to come to India in the end of April. Now, Tokyo and Osaka are also going to be under fresh restrictions, just as Delhi and many other places in India are witnessing restrictions due to rise in infections. A visit by the Japanese Prime Minister has been long due, since December 2019 when then PM Shinzo Abe’s visit was cancelled due to the protests against CAA and NRC.