Biden’s Covid adviser Murthy’s family hails from Karnataka village

Bengaluru, Nov 8 : The election of Joe Biden as the US President-elect has delighted the folks of Hallagere, a nondescript village in Karnataka’s Mandya district, as his key Covid-19 adviser Vivek Murthy’s family hails from here, an official said on Sunday.
“Vivek Murthy’s family, including his father H.N. Lakshminarasimha Murthy and mother Myetraie belong to Hallagere. Vivek’s parents migrated to Britain and subsequently to the US, where his father is also a medical doctor at Miami in Florida state,” a Mandya district official told IANS on phone.
Mandya is about 100 kms southwest of Bengaluru onway to Mysuru in the southern state.
The news of Biden’s election was greeted with joy at Hallagere, as prospects of Vivek, 43, re-joining the US government brightened, as he was the 19th US surgeon-general in the Barack Obama administration.
“As Vice-President, Biden administered the oath of office to Vivek on December 15, 2014. He resigned on April 21, 2017 after Donald Trump took over as President in January 2016,” the official recalled.
With the rank of Vice Admiral, Vivek was the highest ranking official of Indian origin in Obama’s second term and played an active role in formulating and implementing the Obamacare Affordable Care Act.