Indian diplomat Randhir Jaiswal on Wednesday took charge as the new official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), replacing Arindam Bagchi in the role as the latter proceeds as the new Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
Taking to social media platform X, the official MEA handle, previously handled under Bagchi's name, said, "The baton passes on! Shri Randhir Jaiswal assumes charge as the Official Spokesperson of @MEAIndia as Shri Arindam Bagchi proceeds on overseas assignment."
In October last year, it was announced that Bagchi had been appointed as India's next Permanent Representative to the United Nations, replacing Indira Mani Pandey in the position.
Who is Randhir Jaiswal?
Jaiswal, an officer of the 1998 batch of the Indian Foreign Service, was appointed as Consul General in New York in July 2020 and was praised by the Indian diaspora for his active involvement in the repatriation of Indian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Previously, he has served in Portugal, Cuba, South Africa and India's permanent mission to the UN in New York. He was also the deputy secretary overseeing relations with the US and the joint secretary managing diplomatic ties with countries in Western Europe.
The newly-appointed MEA spokesperson was also appointed to serve the President as the joint secretary for India's foreign policy. Jaiswal has also been part of India’s delegation at various climate change conferences and was the lead negotiator for the G77 countries at the RIO Conference held in Brazil in 2012. He has a Master's degree in history from Delhi University.
The Indian American community in November bid an emotional goodbye to Jaiswal as he proceeded to his new role. Speaking at the occasion, Jaiswal congratulated the Indian American community for its outstanding success in many areas and praised their contributions in various fields and in strengthening the Indo-US relationship. He talked about the need to involve Indian American youths in strengthening bilateral ties. "Each one of you is a success story and you are the actual ambassador," he said.
Arindam Bagchi's new assignment
Bagchi, who will assume his role as India's next envoy to the UN, joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1995 and serves as an Additional Secretary in the MEA. He replaced Anurag Srivastava as the spokesperson in March 2021.
His tenure was eventful as it spanned the COVID-19 pandemic, the standoff with China in eastern Ladakh, India hosting the G20 Summit in September this year and the increased pace of India's engagements with various partners.
Before becoming the ministry spokesperson, Bagchi previously served as Indian ambassador to Croatia for almost one and a half years from November 2018 to June 2020. He also served as deputy high commissioner to Sri Lanka and director of the Prime Minister's Office.
Indra Mani Pandey was appointed as Permanent Representative Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva on September 5, 2020. He has been appointed as the next Secretary General of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).
(with agency inputs)
ALSO READ | External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi appointed as India's next envoy to UN
