Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra’s service tenure extended by 6 months

New Delhi, March 12 

The government on Tuesday granted a six-month extension in service tenure of Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra, who was scheduled to retire at the end of next month, according to an official order.

The decision was taken by Appointments Committee of Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Kwatra, a 1988-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, took charge as the foreign secretary on April 30, 2022.

According to the order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), “The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved extension in service of Vinay Mohan Kwatra (IFS:1988) as Foreign Secretary for a period of six months beyond 30.04.2024, ie, up to 31.10. 2024 or until further orders, whichever is earlier, in public interest, in terms of provisions of FR 56 (d).”

Kwatra, a career diplomat with over 34 years of experience, served as Ambassador of India to France from August 2017 to February 2020, before diplomatic posting to Nepal.

He also held the position of a Joint Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) for two years between October 2015 and August 2017.