Former Foreign Secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Thursday took oath as a minister in the Union Cabinet. Jaishankar, who was India’s foreign secretary from January 2015 to January 2018, was sworn in to office by President Ram Nath Kovind, along with other ministers, at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
It is not yet known what portfolio will be allocated to Jaishankar.
Jaishankar was a key member of the Indian team which negotiated the Indo-US nuclear deal in 2007, during the tenure of the Manmohan Singh-led United Progressive Alliance government, PTI reported. He has also served as India’s ambassador to China and the United States.
The 1977-batch Indian Foreign Service officer was also India’s high commissioner to Singapore and envoy to the Czech Republic. Earlier this year, Jaishankar was conferred the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in the country.
Last year, Tata Sons appointed Jaishankar its president of global corporate affairs, three months after his term as foreign secretary ended. Jaishankar is an MA in Political Science and an MPhil and PhD in International Relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.
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