BioVoice News June 2017 Issue 1 Volume 2 | Page 41

Research) in Chandigarh, India. He serves on the international advisory boards of several organisations, including membership of the WHO Expert Advisory Panel on Human Cell, Tissue and Organ Transplantation, and the executive committee of the International Society of Nephrology. Former health secretary Keshav Desiraju joins PFI as its chairperson Mr Desiraju, a retired civil servant, was an IAS officer from the 1978 batch of the Uttarakhand cadre. He has a Masters degree in Economics from the University of Cambridge and a Masters degree in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. He has held many positions with the Government of Uttarakhand, the Government of Uttar Pradesh, and the Government of India and retired as the Union Secretary in the Department of Consumer Affairs. Talking about the appointment, Executive Director of PFI Poonam Muttreja said, “After the valuable contribution of Dr Vinay Bharat-Ram, PFI is both privileged and extremely fortunate to have Mr Keshav Desiraju as PFI’s Chairperson. His experience in a range of sectors, especially as Union Health Secretary, will greatly compliment and strengthen PFI’s programmes.” PM releases Dr M S Swaminathan’s book series, ‘The Quest for a world without hunger’ Former Union Health Secretary, Mr Keshav Desiraju, has been appointed as the Chairperson of the Governing Board of the Population Foundation of India (PFI). The Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi, recently released a two-part book series on the eminent agricultural scientist Dr M S Swaminathan. The series is titled - M S Swaminathan: The Quest for a world without hunger. Several Union Ministers and other dignitaries were present on the occasion. Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister recalled how the Soil Health BIOVOICENEWS.COM 41