Dr Bhagwan Singh Charan,a public health specialist, will be the new head of the Delhi tobacco control cell. He replaces Mr S K Arora.
Mr Sanjeev Khirwar, health secretary of Delhi termed the replacement as purely routine administrative reshuffle, yet many see the transfer of Mr Arora as a consequence of the last month’s circular. The circular prohibited any activity of NGOs that receive international funding from Bloomberg or other sources unless approved by competent authority.
The circular was issued after much controversy that followed the requisition from an NGO named Social Economic and Educational Development Society (SEEDS) to collaborate with the Delhi goverment to work on the implementation of tobacco control project.
Delhi goverment allowed SEEDS, funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, to carry out tobacco-control work in New Delhi.
