An official statement on Friday announced the appointment of Vikram Misri, a China expert and former envoy to Beijing, as India’s new foreign secretary. Misri holds the position of deputy national security adviser.
Misri, an officer of the 1989 batch of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) who has the rare distinction of serving as the private secretary to three prime ministers, will take up his new position on July 15, according to the notification from the appointments committee of the cabinet. He joined the National Security Council in January 2022.
Vinay Kwatra, who was granted a six-month extension in April, will be replaced by him. According to the same notification, Kwatra’s extension is now good through July 14. Kwatra’s appointment as India’s next ambassador to the US is largely anticipated.
As part of a succession of significant appointments in the external affairs ministry, HT had first reported on June 7 that Misri was expected to take on the role of foreign secretary.
People familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity that Misri will be a natural fit as the foreign secretary in view of his expertise on China, which remains the foremost foreign policy challenge for India.
Also Read Khatron Ke Khiladi 14: First Look at Contestants and Daring Stunts!
Here’s the information formatted into a table:
| Position | Duration |
|---|---|
| Ambassador to Beijing | 2019-2021 |
| Ambassador to Spain | 2014-2016 |
| Ambassador to Myanmar | 2016-2018 |
| Private Secretary to Prime Minister IK Gujral | 1997-1998 |
| Private Secretary to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh | 2012-2014 |
| Private Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi | May-July 2014 |
| Diplomatic assignments in Belgium, Pakistan, US, Sri Lanka, Germany | Various |
Also Read Breast Cancer Diagnosis of Hina Khan: Understanding the Prevalence Among Indian Women!
India’s ambassador to France, Jawed Ashraf, who served as joint secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office under both Manmohan Singh and Narendra Modi, and was granted a year-long extension in service that is set to end in September this year, is widely tipped to replace Misri in the National Security Council Secretariat, the people said.
Filling two key positions in the US is among the priorities in foreign policy for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government that took office earlier this month for a third successive term.
Kwatra is expected to become the next envoy to the US, the people said. The key slot in Washington has been lying vacant after the last ambassador, Taranjit Sandhu, retired in January.
The government also has to fill the post of India’s permanent representative to the United Nations (UN) in New York, which became vacant with the retirement of Ruchira Kamboj – the first woman to hold the position – at the beginning of this month.
The two frontrunners for this post are Parvathaneni Harish, an officer of the 1990 batch of the IFS and the current envoy to Germany, and BN Reddy, from the 1993 batch of the IFS and the current high commissioner to Malaysia, the people said.
Other names doing the rounds for this position are Vikram Doraiswami, from the 1992 batch of the IFS and the current high commissioner to Britain, and Naveen Srivastava, from the 1993 batch of the IFS and currently the ambassador to Nepal.
Sanjeev Singla, the ambassador to Israel since July 2019, is widely tipped as the next ambassador to France, the people said. Singla, from the 1997 batch of the IFS, also served as private secretary to the prime minister during 2014-2019.
Stay Connected With us: Siasatpro.com
Recent Comments