Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh

Virendra Dayal appointed Special Envoy

In continuation of the earlier statements made by the Prime Minister on the Volcker Committee Report regarding getting to the root of the matter and establishing the truth or otherwise of the unverified references made in it, the Prime Minister has decided to appoint Shri Virendra Dayal, former Under Secretary-General, United Nations, and Chef de Cabinet of the UN Secretary-General (1982-92) and former Member of the Human Rights Commission, as a Special Envoy of the Government of India to liaise with the United Nations Organization and its Member States, to gather relevant materials including those on the unverified references in the Report regarding the involvement of Indian entities and individuals.

The Special Envoy will be granted full power and authority of the Government of India to execute the responsibilities entrusted to him. The appointment of Shri Dayal will be for an initial term of three months or until the completion of his task, whichever is earlier.

The Government is contemplating other steps as well which will be announced separately.