The government today granted clearance to ICMR chief Soumya Swaminathan to take up a foreign assignment as deputy director-general of the WHO in Geneva, according to an official order.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved grant of cadre clearance to Swaminathan to take up the new assignment from December 1, 2017 to November 18, 2019, it said.
Swaminathan is at present Director General Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-cum-Secretary, Department of Health Research.
The ACC has also approved curtailment of deputation tenure of Swaminathan as DG ICMR to enable her to take up the assignment at the World Health Organisation (WHO), the order said.
It has also approved a search-cum selection committee headed by cabinet secretary P K Sinha to identify Swaminathan's successor.
P K Mishra, additional principal secretary to the prime minister, Prof P Balaram, former director, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, T Ramasami, former secretary, department of science and technology and P N Tandon, emeritus professor, neurosurgery, AIIMS, are other members of the panel.
Swaminathan's appointment as the deputy director-general for programmes was announced early last month by the World Health Organisation.
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