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Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra.
The government on March 12 gave Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra a six-month extension, till end-October 2024. The move by the government, in line with some of the other extensions given to senior bureaucrats understood to enable smooth continuity as the country heads for general elections, was nonetheless a surprise, coming weeks ahead of Mr. Kwatra’s tenure expiring at the end of April this year.
“The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved extension in service of Vinay Mohan Kwatra as Foreign Secretary for a period of six months beyond 30.04.2024 i.e. up to 31.10.2024 or until further orders, whichever is earlier,” said an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), that cited “public interest” principles according to the Fundamental Rules (FR). Clause 56(d) of the rules, that deals with the provisions under which senior officials may be given an extension were amended by the Modi government in 2021 to give specific guidelines for the highest-ranking secretaries as well as directors of intelligence and investigative agencies.
Mr. Kwatra, a 1988 batch officer was appointed Foreign Secretary in April 2022, which was extended through a subsequent order to grant him a two-year term till April 30, 2024.
“The Central government may, if considers necessary, in public interest, so to do, give an extension in service for a further period not exceeding one year beyond the said period of two years to the Foreign Secretary,” say the rules 56 (d) regarding the Ministry of External Affairs’s highest post.
Vacant posts
The decision to give Mr. Kwatra an extension now puts the spotlight on several other vacant diplomatic posts, including most prominently, the positions of Ambassadors to the U.S. and Russia. The Indian Ambassador to Washington’s post has been vacant since January, when Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu retired from the post. India’s Ambassador to Moscow Pavan Kapoor returned to Delhi early after being appointed Secretary (West) in the MEA in February. In the run-up to the announcement on the Foreign Secretary’s post, speculative reports in service journals had suggested Mr. Kwatra would be appointed to Washington while Deputy National Security Adviser Vikram Misri, a 1989 batch officer, would succeed him, or vice-versa.
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