New Delhi: Senior career diplomat Vinay Mohan Kwatra will be India’s new Foreign Secretary. His appointment to one of the most coveted posts has been approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), which is chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Kwatra is a 1988 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer and is currently serving as India’s Ambassador to Nepal. He will succeed Harsh Vardhan Shringla, who is retiring this month-end, said the Ministry of Personnel in an order.

Kwatra has held positions in India’s diplomatic missions in Washington DC, Beijing and has also served as a Joint Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) during his 32 years of service.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Kwatra to the post of Foreign Secretary upon the superannuation of Shringla on April 30, 2022, the order said. Prior to his diplomatic posting to Nepal in 2020, he served as the Ambassador of India to France from August 2017 to February 2020. /BI/