Indian-American Dr Rahul Gupta Nominated By US President The Country's First 'Drug Czar' 

Another Indian is going to join the team of US President Joe Biden. Dr Rahul Gupta, an Indian-American national, will be named as the director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

US President Joe Biden speaks before a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House April 19, 2021, in Washington, DC. | AFP

New Delhi: US President Joe Biden has decided to nominate Indian-American national Dr Rahul Gupta as America's top drug policy officer. Dr Rahul Gupta will be the first doctor to become America's top drug policy officer once the Senate accepts Biden's approval.

Joe Biden Nominates Dr. Rahul Gupta as Drug Czar

According to the information provided by two White House officials, Indian-American citizen Rahul Gupta, who has served as the top health official of the state of West Virginia, will be named as the director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. US President Joe Biden has coined the term 'drug czar' for this position.

The US Office of National Drug Control Policy was formed in the year 1982. As a senator at the time, Biden supported the creation of the office. It was formed to deal with drug use disorders and to formulate a national policy.

He will become the director of National Drug Control Policy Office

A statement issued by the White House said that "President Biden's nomination of Dr Rahul Gupta to be the first physician ever to lead the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy is another historic step in the administration's efforts to reduce the rapidly increasing figures of drug addiction and overdose epidemic."

Before this, many Indian names are already included in US President Joe Biden's administration. The most prominent name being Vice President Kamala Harris, along with Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, Director of the office of personnel Kiran Ahuja, Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta, and Senior Advisor Neera Tanden.