1995 batch senior Indian Foreign Services (IFS) officer, Mr. Arindam Bagchi, who is External Affairs Ministry spokesperson, has been made India’s permanent representative (as the next Ambassador) to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva.
Mr. Bagchi is expected to take up the assignment soon. He is presently serving as Additional Secretary in the External Affairs Ministry. He took over as the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs in March 2021.
He has handled many important issues and developments well, including the Eastern Ladakh border dispute, India’s COVID-19 management, India’s G-20 chairmanship, etc. Mr. Bagchi has also served as Ambassador to Croatia and Deputy High Commissioner to Sri Lanka.
He had been an investment banker for two years before joining the Indian Foreign Service. He has done his graduation in Mathematics from the St. Stephen’s College in Delhi, and post-graduation in management from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad.
Some time ago, after being promoted to the post of Additional Secretary, he was to be appointed to the post of Ambassador, but was asked to continue in the post till the the G20 Summit got over.
He previously looked after economic and development issues at India’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, and has worked towards improving relations with the United Nations, the United States and Russia as Director in the Prime Minister’s Office.
It is being said that names of around four senior diplomats, including Joint Secretary (G-20) Nagaraj Naidu Kakanur and India’s High Commissioner to Mauritius K. Nandini Singla were in consideration for the post of External Affairs Ministry spokesperson.
A statement from the Ministry of External Affairs said, “Arindam Bagchi (IFS:1995), presently Additional Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, has been appointed as the next Ambassador/Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva.”
