In a sign of India's diplomatic influence, it has been elected to the UN Statistical Commission and two other bodies while China suffered a diplomatic rout unable to get the required votes for the Commission when it squared off against India.
India was elected unopposed in two elections on Wednesday by the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) to the Commission on Narcotic Drugs and the Programme Coordinating Board of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS.
In the election to the Statistical Commission where China was competing with India for seats earmarked for the Asia Pacific region, India received 46 of the 53 votes for the Statistical Commission electing it to one of the two seats for the Asia Pacific region in the first round of voting.
China came in third with paltry 19 votes, while South Korea received 23 and the United Arab Emirates 15, necessitating a second round of ballotting because none of them received the majority of 27 votes required for election to the region's second seat under the rules.
In the runoff between China and South Korea, they tied with 25 votes each and under the rules, ECOSOC President Lachezara Stoeva drew lots to break the tie and Seoul was picked.
India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar tweeted, "India's expertise in the field of statistics, diversity & demography has earned it a seat on the UN Statistical Commission."
He congratulated India's UN Mission team for "for coming through so strongly in a competitive election".
Seats on most UN bodies are allocated by region, although all countries vote to pick the candidates from the region.
India, which will begin its term on the Statistical Commission in 2024, returns after 20 years having completed its last term in 2004.
The Statistical Commission bills itself as "the highest body of the global statistical system bringing together the chief statisticians from member states from around the world".
It sets statistical standards and develops concepts and methods, at the national and international levels.
China's poor performance in the Statistical Commission election, securing only 19 votes and trailing South Korea was a surprise because of the extensive diplomatic and economic campaigns it has undertaken around the world.
Little Bhavanites' Sports Spectra-2025 for Pre-Primary section held
The Little Bhavanites' Sports Spectra-2025 for the Pre-Primary section was held on Saturday in the premises of Bhavan's Tripura Vidyamandir at Narsingarh.
Tripura: Four Bangladeshi injured in major smuggling bid
Four Bangladeshi, including a woman and a child, sustained minor injuries in Tripura on Saturday when the BSF personnel exercising utmost restraint fired one round from a Pump Action Gun (PAG) in self-defence to prevent a major smuggling bid by the smugglers of that country, officials said.
10 Rohingya nationals, including four children held in Unakoti
Tripura Police have detained 10 Rohingya nationals, including four children, who were hiding in a house to cross the India-Bangladesh border illegally in the Safarkandi area of Tripura’s Unakoti District.
Pradesh BJP District President polls on January 20
The elections for the District Presidents of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Tripura are scheduled to be held on January 20. Nominations and scrutiny will take place on January 19, as per an official order issued by the State Returning Officer, Samarendra Chandra Deb.
Woman found dead in Agartala suburbs, one held
A gruesome murder in Maheshkhala, West Tripura District, has shocked the local community. On Saturday, a married woman, Kalpana Debnath was found dead in what police believe to be a premeditated crime stemming from an alleged extramarital affair.
Now next phase for justice to begin, says victim's father on RG Kar verdict
As a special court in Kolkata on Saturday convicted civic volunteer Sanjay Roy for the rape and murder of a junior woman doctor of state-run R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital within the hospital premises in August last year, the victim’s parents said that the second phase to achieve further justice has just begun.
AAP alleges Kejriwal’s car attacked with bricks and stones, blames BJP
An alleged stone attack on Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal's car is set to turn into the latest flashpoint in the run-up to February 5 Delhi Assembly elections.
Himachal IG, 7 other cops convicted for custodial death of accused in gangrape-murder case
A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on Saturday convicted Himachal Pradesh Inspector General of Police Z.H. Zaidi and seven others for the infamous custodial death of an accused in gangrape-murder of a minor in 2017.