The central government told Parliament on Thursday that India accords "highest priority" to securing permanent membership of the expanded UN Security Council and the country is continuously striving for it at both bilateral and multilateral levels. Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply to a question that India is working with several groups and countries to secure membership.Earlier, the Ministry of External Affairs was asked about its strategy to address the current challenges in securing a permanent seat for India on the Security Council. Singh stated, "The Government of India accords the highest priority to India's achievement of permanent membership in an expanded UN Security Council. India is continuously engaged in this effort at both the bilateral and multilateral levels. India is also working closely with other reformist groups and countries."The Union Minister further said, "The very nature of multilateral diplomacy poses challenges, as there are divergent views among the 193 member states of the United Nations on the nature and scope of Security Council reforms."Russia also gave information on the Ukraine warIn a written response to another question, Rajyavardhan Singh stated that 26 Indians serving in the Russian Armed Forces have died so far, while seven have been declared missing by the Russian side. He also stated that efforts are underway to secure the early release of 50 individuals. The Minister stated that the Ministry of External Affairs has provided assistance in repatriating the mortal remains of 10 deceased Indian nationals and performing the last rites of two deceased Indian nationals.He further said that DNA samples of family members of 18 Indians reported dead or missing have been shared with Russian authorities to help establish the identities of some of the deceased Indian nationals.
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