Nirupama Rao to succeed Menon as country’s next foreign secretary
30 Jun 2009
New Delhi: India's ambassador to China, Nirupama Rao, will be the country's next foreign secretary and will succeed Shivshankar Menon who retires on 31 July after an eventful three-year stint as the country's top diplomat.
Rao, a 1973-batch IFS officer, has served in a number of key positions, and will only be the second woman to become the country's top diplomat, after Chokila Iyer.
Iyer served as foreign secretary from March 2001 to June 2002.
Prior to her ambassadorial assignment at Beijing, the 58-year Rao has served as Indian envoy to Sri Lanka and also a stint as the ministry's first woman spokesperson.
A seasoned diplomat Rao has served in the Indian missions in Washington and Moscow and also held a top assignment as joint secretary (East Asia).
She takes over at a time when a new UPA government starts its second innings and seeks to enhance the country's prestige in world affairs. The region in India's immediate proximity is also caught in the throes of an intensifying conflict against forces sponsoring and practising global terror.
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