Randhir Jaiswal assumes charge as new spokesperson of Ministry of External Affairs

Indian diplomat Randhir Jaiswal on Wednesday took charge as the new official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), changing Arindam Bagchi within the position as the latter proceeds as the new Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

Taking to social media platform X, the official MEA deal with, beforehand dealt with below Bagchi’s identify, mentioned, “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 final 12 months, it was introduced that Bagchi had been appointed as India’s subsequent Permanent Representative to the United Nations, changing Indira Mani Pandey within the place. 

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 energetic involvement within the repatriation of Indian Americans through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Previously, he has served in Portugal, Cuba, South Africa and India’s everlasting mission to the UN in New York. He was additionally the deputy secretary overseeing relations with the US and the joint secretary managing diplomatic ties with international locations in Western Europe.

The newly-appointed MEA spokesperson was additionally appointed to serve the President as the joint secretary for India’s international coverage. Jaiswal has additionally been half of India’s delegation at varied local weather change conferences and was the lead negotiator for the G77 international locations on the RIO Conference held in Brazil in 2012. He has a Master’s diploma in historical past from Delhi University.

The Indian American neighborhood in November bid an emotional goodbye to Jaiswal as he proceeded to his new position. Speaking on the event, Jaiswal congratulated the Indian American neighborhood for its excellent success in lots of areas and praised their contributions in varied fields and in strengthening the Indo-US relationship. He talked about the necessity to contain Indian American youths in strengthening bilateral ties. “Each one of you is a success story and you are the actual ambassador,” he mentioned.

Arindam Bagchi’s new task

Bagchi, who will assume his position as India’s subsequent envoy to the UN, joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1995 and serves as an Additional Secretary within the MEA. He changed Anurag Srivastava as the spokesperson in March 2021. 

His tenure was eventful as it spanned the COVID-19 pandemic, the standoff with China in jap Ladakh, India internet hosting the G20 Summit in September this 12 months and the elevated tempo of India’s engagements with varied companions. 

Before changing into the ministry spokesperson, Bagchi beforehand served as Indian ambassador to Croatia for nearly one and a half years from November 2018 to June 2020. He additionally served as deputy excessive 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 following Secretary General of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).

(with company inputs)

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