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Who represented India at the UN High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response?

  1. A.The Union Health Minister
  2. B.Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava
  3. C.The Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations
  4. D.The Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research

Correct answer

B. Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava

Explanation

The correct answer is Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava, who spoke for India at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 25 September and reaffirmed the commitment of the country to global health security. Option A is wrong because the address was delivered by the Health Secretary, the senior civil servant of the ministry, and not by the minister. Option C names the envoy who leads the mission of India at the world body, but the health intervention at this meeting came from the ministry itself. Option D names the head of the apex medical research body, which had a large role during the pandemic yet did not speak here. Such questions test whether an aspirant reads the designation carefully, so the pairing of the meeting, the venue and the exact office of the speaker should be memorised together.

Read the full article: India Presses for Fair PABS System at UN Pandemic Meeting

Practice Questions

Q1.InternationalMedium

In the context of the WHO Pandemic Agreement, what does PABS stand for?

  1. A.Pandemic Alert and Biosecurity System
  2. B.Public Access to Biological Samples
  3. C.Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing
  4. D.Preparedness and Basic Surveillance
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing

India argued that the agreement will be judged by whether this system is fair, so that a country which shares pathogens or biological resources receives vaccines, diagnostics, therapeutics and other technologies in return, within a reasonable time and with its sovereignty intact.

Q2.InternationalMedium

How many vaccine doses did India supply during the COVID-19 pandemic, as cited at the meeting?

  1. A.150 million doses to about 60 countries
  2. B.300 million doses to about 100 countries and two UN entities
  3. C.500 million doses to about 120 countries
  4. D.700 million doses to about 90 countries
Show answer
Correct answer: B. 300 million doses to about 100 countries and two UN entities

India cited this supply, along with medical assistance to more than 150 countries, as proof of the principle of One Earth, One Health and of its commitment to the Global South.

Q3.InternationalMedium

Which plan of action did the first BIMSTEC Health Ministers Meeting adopt?

  1. A.Revised BIMSTEC Plan of Action on Public Health (2026-2030)
  2. B.BIMSTEC Plan of Action on Pandemic Response (2025-2035)
  3. C.Bay of Bengal Health Charter (2026-2036)
  4. D.BIMSTEC Digital Health Mission (2027-2032)
Show answer
Correct answer: A. Revised BIMSTEC Plan of Action on Public Health (2026-2030)

Along with the unanimously adopted Joint Ministerial Statement, this plan was accepted at Colombo and gives the grouping a structured roadmap for cooperation in disease surveillance, pandemic preparedness, digital health, traditional medicine, the One Health approach and the development of a health workforce.

Q4.InternationalMedium

India announced that it will host the BIMSTEC Centre of Excellence in Traditional Medicine at which institution?

  1. A.All India Institute of Ayurveda, New Delhi
  2. B.National Institute of Ayurveda, Jaipur
  3. C.Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda, Jamnagar
  4. D.Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences, Pune
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda, Jamnagar

At Colombo the Union Health Minister announced India’s commitment to hosting the BIMSTEC Centre of Excellence in Traditional Medicine at this institute, and the Joint Ministerial Statement welcomed the initiative.