The Narendra Modi government on Monday extended the tenure of foreign secretary Vikram Misri till July 14, 2026.
“The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved extension of Vikram Misri as Foreign Secretary beyond the date of his superannuation on November 30 for a tenure up to July 14, 2026 or until further orders, whichever is earlier, in terms of provisions of FR 56 (d),” the government notification stated.
The provisions allow extension in the service of a foreign secretary beyond the date of superannuation in public interest, officials said.
Vikram Misri served as private secretary to 3 PMs
Misri, a 1989 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, assumed charge as foreign secretary on July 15. He had succeeded Vinay Kwatra, who is currently India's ambassador to the United States.
Kwatra, a 1988 batch IFS officer, took over as the Indian envoy in Washington DC from Taranjit Sandhu, who retired in January. Misri graduated with a degree in history from University of Delhi's Hindu College and later earned an MBA degree from XLRI, Jamshedpur.
He served as private secretary to three prime ministers- Narendra Modi, Dr Manmohan Singh and Inder Kumar Gujral. Vikram Misri held his last ambassadorial deputation in Beijing and is considered one of the top officials handling China affairs in the ministry of external affairs.
Prior to his appointment as the foreign secretary in July, Misri was deputy national security advisor. He took the role in the National Security Council Secretariat in January 2022, where he reported to NSA Ajit Doval.
Misri is said to have played the key role in contacts with the Chinese government after the standoff in eastern Ladakh and the Galwan Valley clash in June 2020. He also served as India's ambassador to Spain (2014-2016) and Myanmar (2016-2018).
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