India's Jagjit Pavadia re-elected to International Narcotics Control Board
United Nations: In a significant victory, India's Jagjit Pavadia was re-elected to the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) for another term, posting the highest number of votes at 44. Pavadia, in her 60s, has been a member of the INCB since 2015 and her current term is set to expire in 2020.
"India's Jagjit Pavadia tops International Narcotics Control Board Election," India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin tweeted after the election results were announced. "We are deeply grateful to all India's many friends who ensured such a huge win in a very competitive election," he said.
The 54-member Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) held elections by secret ballot Tuesday, with 15 candidates in fray for five seats.
There were 54 members present and voting and the required majority to win the election was 28. After the first round of voting, Pavadia emerged at the top, getting the highest number of votes at 44, followed by Jallal Toufiq of Morocco with 32 votes and Cesar Tomas Arce Rivas of Paraguay with 31 votes.
Pavadia has been re-elected for a five-year term beginning on March 2, 2020 and expiring on March 1, 2025. In a video message, Pavadia said she is "deeply grateful" to the Member States for the "trust reposed" in her by re-electing her as a member of the Board for the period 2020-2025.
"I am committed to working impartially and sincerely to the treaty-mandated duties assigned to me as a Board member," she said, thanking the Member States for their "invaluable support."
The victory added to India's successful record of winning crucial elections at the UN and to the world organisation's subsidiary bodies. China's candidate Wei Hao got only 23 votes in the first round of voting. The council then held a second round of restricted voting in which Bernard Leroy of France and Viviana Manrique Zuluaga of Colombia were elected after having garnered the required majority.
China's candidate managed only 19 votes in the second round and lost. According to Pavadia's profile on the INCB website, she has held several senior positions in the Indian Revenue Service for 35 years in the Government of India, including Narcotics Commissioner of India, Central Bureau of Narcotics (2006-2012) among others.
She was also member of the Indian delegation to the Commission on Narcotics Drugs, Vienna (2007-2012). Member of the International Narcotics Control Board since 2015.
Born in 1954, Pavadia competed her LL.B from Delhi University in 1988 and holds a Master's Diploma in Public Administration from the Indian Institute of Public Administration. She is the recipient of Presidential Appreciation Certificate for Specially Distinguished Record of Service, awarded in 2005 on the occasion of India's Republic Day, her profile said.
INCB consists of 13 members who are elected by the ECOSOC and who serve in their personal capacity, not as government representatives, according to information on the Board's website.
Three members with medical, pharmacological or pharmaceutical experience are elected from a list of persons nominated by the World Health Organization (WHO) and 10 members are elected from a list of persons nominated by Governments.
Pavadia has been nominated by the Indian Government. Established in 1968, the International Narcotics Control Board is the independent and quasi-judicial monitoring body for the implementation of the United Nations international drug control conventions.
According to information about its mandate on its website, INCB endeavours, in cooperation with Governments, to ensure that adequate supplies of drugs are available for medical and scientific uses and that the diversion of drugs from licit sources to illicit channels does not occur.
The INCB also monitors Governments' control over chemicals used in the illicit manufacture of drugs and assists them in preventing the diversion of those chemicals into the illicit traffic, it said.
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US pauses visa processing for individuals from 75 countries
New York/Washington (PTI): The Trump administration on Wednesday announced pausing immigrant visa processing for individuals from 75 countries, including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Russia, as part of increasing crackdown on foreigners likely to rely on public benefits in the US.
“The State Department will pause immigrant visa processing from 75 countries whose migrants take welfare from the American people at unacceptable rates. The freeze will remain active until the US can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people,” the State Department said in a post on X.
“The Trump administration will PAUSE immigrant visa processing from 75 countries until the US can ensure that incoming immigrants will not become a public charge or extract wealth from American taxpayers. AMERICA FIRST,” the White House said in a post on X.
“The freeze will remain active until the US can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people. The pause impacts dozens of countries – including Somalia, Haiti, Iran, and Eritrea – whose immigrants often become public charges on the United States upon arrival. We are working to ensure the generosity of the American people will no longer be abused," the State Department said.
"The Trump Administration will always put America First," the State Department added.
State Department spokesperson Tommy Piggott said in a statement, "The State Department will use its long-standing authority to deem ineligible potential immigrants who would become a public charge on the United States and exploit the generosity of the American people."
A report in the Fox News said that the pause will begin from January 21.
The State Department memo, seen first by Fox News Digital, directs “consular officers to refuse visas under existing law while the department reassesses screening and vetting procedures”.
The list of countries include Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan and Yemen.
The Fox News report added that in November 2025, a State Department cable sent to missions around the globe instructed consular officers to “enforce sweeping new screening rules under the so-called "public charge" provision of immigration law.
The guidance had instructed US consular officers across the world to deem those individuals seeking to enter and live in the US ineligible if they have certain medical conditions, including cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, saying these people could end up relying on public benefits.
The foreigners applying for visas to live in the US “might be rejected if they have certain medical conditions”. “You must consider an applicant’s health…Certain medical conditions – including, but not limited to, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, cancers, diabetes, metabolic diseases, neurological diseases, and mental health conditions – can require hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of care,” the cable had said.
The cable also advised visa officers to consider conditions like obesity in making their decisions, noting that the condition can cause asthma, sleep apnea, and high blood pressure.
The guidance directed "visa officers to deem applicants ineligible to enter the US for several new reasons, including age or the likelihood they might rely on public benefits.
The guidance says that such people could become a “public charge” — "a potential drain on US resources — because of their health issues or age”.
The report added that older or overweight applicants could be denied, along with those who had any past use of government cash assistance or institutionalisation.
