Washington(PTI): US President Joe Biden has nominated Dr. Vivek Murthy to serve as America's representative on the executive board of the World Health Organisation.

Dr. Murthy, 45, will serve in the new position alongside his continued duties as the US Surgeon General, the White House said in a statement.

He was confirmed by the US Senate in March 2021 to serve as the 21st Surgeon General of the country. He previously served as the 19th Surgeon General under President Barack Obama.

As the nation's doctor, the Surgeon General's mission is to help lay the foundation for a healthier country, relying on the best scientific information available to provide clear, consistent, and equitable guidance and resources for the public.

"While serving as the 21st Surgeon General, Dr. Murthy is focused on drawing attention to and working across government to address a number of critical public health issues, including the growing proliferation of health misinformation, the ongoing youth mental health crisis, well-being and burnout in the health worker community, and social isolation and loneliness," said the White House.

As the Vice Admiral of the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, Dr. Murthy also commands a uniformed service of over 6,000 dedicated public health officers, serving the most underserved and vulnerable populations.

The first Surgeon General of Indian descent, Dr. Murthy, was raised in Miami and is a graduate of Harvard, the Yale School of Medicine, and the Yale School of Management, the White House said.

A renowned physician, research scientist, entrepreneur, and author, he lives in Washington, DC with his wife Dr Alice Chen, and their two children, it said.

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Tirunelveli (Tamil Nadu), Jul 29 (PTI): An IT employee belonging to a Scheduled Caste has been hacked to death by a youth, allegedly over an inter-caste relationship, police have said.

The 27-year-old victim was employed as an engineer with a software firm in Chennai. He was murdered near a Siddha facility here on Sunday by the accused youth, police said.

The suspect, S Surjith, was arrested on July 28 and remanded.

According to a police officer, both the parents of the accused are sub-inspectors.

A case has been registered against the SI couple and their son Surjith under various sections of BNS and SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, police said.

Police investigation revealed that on July 27, the victim Kavin had gone to KTC Nagar to consult the woman, a Siddha consultant, about his grandfather’s health condition.

He was accosted by the woman’s brother Surjith who invited him home for a discussion. Trusting him, Kavin went along with him. But enroute, Surjith abruptly stopped his two-wheeler, pulled out a sickle and indiscriminately attacked Kavin, police said.

Though Kavin attempted to flee, Surjith overtook him and hacked him to death, police said.