of hers is given the top diplomat’s post. A month ago, it was almost certain India’s ambassador to China S Jaishankar, who was NSA Shivshankar Menon’s choice for the top diplomat’s job, would supersede Singh and other contenders like India’s envoy to London J Bhagwati, both belonging to 1976 batch IFS. Jaishankar, a 1977 batch IFS, enjoys an excellent personal rapport with principal secretary to PM Pulok Chatterji too.
Mrs Singh is however politically well-connected, as her father TV Rajeshwar was Intelligence Bureau chief under Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. Later, he was made the Governor of Uttar Pradesh. According to reports, Singh finally got the backing of the Congress brass after PM almost decided to get Jaishankar on board as the next foreign secretary.
An alumnus of New Delhi’s Lady Shri Ram College and Delhi School of Economics, Singh joined the Indian Foreign Service in July 1976. Born in July 1954, 59-year-old Singh will now get a two-year term as the foreign secretary.
Here are some of her overseas assignments:
1978-82: Second Secretary in Embassy of India, Bonn
1985-89: First Secretary, High Commission of India, Accra
1989-92: Counsellor, Embassy of India, Paris
1997-2000: Deputy Chief of Mission and Deputy Permanent Representative to ESCAP at Embassy of India, Bangkok,
2000-04: Consul General of India at Milan
2007-2012: High Commissioner of India, Australia
2012 till now: Ambassador of India, Germany.
Singh also took up some important postings at South Block. Here are her Headquarters postings: Under Secretary looking after Nepal (1982-85), Director, Economic Co-Ordination Unit (1992-95), Joint Secretary at the Foreign Service Institute, New Delhi (1996-97), and then additional secretary responsible for West Europe and the EU. In 1995, she attended the National Defence College in New Delhi.
Singh is married to her IFS batch-mate Sanjay Singh who has retired recently. Singh will be the third woman diplomat after Chokila Iyer and Nirupama Rao to get the coveted foreign secretary's post. Incidentally, no woman IAS on the other hand has ever become the cabinet secretary, the top bureaucrat's post meant for IAS officers.
Please Correct...Singh is married to her IFS batch-mate SANJAY Singh not Siddharth Singh
ReplyDeleteYour portrait of Sujata is inappropriate. It does not reflect the freshness she would bring in.
DeletePlease also correct that Shri Sanjay Singh is already retired from service.
ReplyDeleteIs is official or only a speculation?
ReplyDeleteThanks readers for spotting the error. Sujata Singh's husband is Sanjay Singh, her batch-mate from IFS. He has already retired. The error is regretted.
ReplyDeleteBabu blogger has caught the "Babu Bug" no correction after so many hours
ReplyDeleteThe MEA has recommended Sujata Singh's name to the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet. It is as good as a confirmation as the ACC is unlikely to turn down MEA's recommendation. Maybe, the MEA sent the name only after informally consulting the matter with the PMO.
ReplyDeleteher intellectuality and effectives in dealing with adverse crises in diplomatic relation as well as her personna is no where comparable to that of Dr S. Jaishankar...he would he been a much effective foreign secretary
ReplyDeleteNot correct. Sujata Singh was the topper in her batch. She is a highly efficient and non-controversial diplomat. Probably, Jaishankar was preferred because NSA Menon and Pulok Chatterji have a better working relation with him. I am talking about the comfort level. After all, FS needs to work very closely with PMO
DeleteDealing with the neighbouring countries and the P-5 is the most important part of the tasks performed by FS and only an officer who has experience in dealing with these countries should be appointed as FS.
DeleteIf is finally official. Proves MEA is not gender biased, nor is the GOI in this case.
ReplyDelete