Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha: 10 things to know about India’s new high commissioner to UK

Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha, 1981 batch Indian Foreign Service officer and present high commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, will be India’s new high commissioner to United Kingdom in place of Navtej Sarna who is proceeding towards Washington DC after being appointed as India’s envoy to US. Here are 10 things to know about Sinha, India’s new high commissioner to UK:

IPS officer Rajan appointed in High Commission of India in London; reshuffle at additional secretary ranks

AHEAD of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s departure to US, a number of appointments, three of which were at the level of additional secretary, were approved on Tuesday by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) chaired by the Prime Minister. The government on Tuesday also approved 1987 batch IPS AS Ranjan’s appointment in the High Commission of India in London for a period of three years. Here are a few key appointments:

Officer wanted as minister (economic) in High Commission of India, London

FOR officers currently working at the level of joint secretary or a director at the Centre, here is an opportunity to get a posting in London. Union secretaries and state chief secretaries have been requested to nominate officers for the post of minister (economic) in London’s High Commission of India in place of…

Commerce ministry’s Amitabh Jain to head for Indian High Commission in London

Amitabh Jain, a 1989 batch Chhattisgarh cadre IAS, has been appointed as Minister (Economics) in the High Commission of India, London. Jain replaces his batch-mate from West Bengal cadre Anil Verma who had to return to India halfway after he allegedly assaulted his wife. The entire episode got huge British media attention. Verma, who had worked closely with finance minister Pranab Mukherjee was the third most senior Indian officer in London High Commission then.

Now, the appointments committee of cabinet has approved the appointment of Amitabh Jain, presently working as Additional Director General of Foreign Trade at the level of a joint secretary in the department of commerce. Jain will have a tenure of three years, from the date of assumption of charge of the post or until further orders, whichever event takes place earlier, with the condition that the appointment of the officer at the first instance will be restricted up to August 27, 2013 and appointment for the remaining period out of three years, will be notified only after the receipt of cadre clearance of the state government of Chhattisgarh.

A mechanical engineer with specialization in systems analysis, Jain was in the cadre till he joined DGFT in 2006.

Action and Appintments

a) Rajiv Gupta, a 1979 batch UK cadre IAS, presently in the cadre, has been appointed as Managing Director, National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED), New Delhi at the level of a joint secretary.

b) Chandra Prakash, a 1982 batch UP cadre IAS, has been appointed as joint secretary in the ministry of labour and employment in place of SK Dev Barman, a 1987 batch Manipur-Tripura cadre IAS on his appointment as Advisor in UNDP.

c) A number of senior finance ministry officials including DEA secretary RGopalan and chief economic adviser Dr Kaushik Basu are accompanying Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee on a three day visit to USA beginning June 27, 2011. FM will deliver a keynote address at the conference on “US-India Economic and Financial Partnership”.

British media report drags deputy high commissioner into Anil Verma - Paromita domestic violence case

A BRITISH media report which broke that 1989 batch IAS officer Anil Verma’s wife Paromita had gone into hiding to continue staying in UK with her five-year-old son, has also dragged in Indian deputy high commissioner to UK and 1980 batch IFS Rajesh N Prasad into the controversy as it claimed that Prasad tried to influence Paromita Verma (In picture) to go back to India after the news came out in public that she was beaten up by her husband Anil Verma, the third senior most diplomat in Indian High Commission in London.

Meanwhile, Verma who also had served as private secretary to Pranab Mukherjee when the latter was the foreign minister during UPA-I, is recalled from London. Verma, a West Bengal cadre IAS, was appointed as minister (economic), in high commission of India, London in June 2009 for a three year term.

According to the report published in British tabloid The Mail on Sunday, Paromita Verma was persuaded by Indian high commission officials to come back to India after it refused to waive off the diplomatic immunity of Verma. The report said that after the incident, deputy high commissioner Prasad visited the Vermas at their home on two occasions – on December 13 and on January 3, and even berated Paromita Verma for letting the incident go beyond the family. The report, however, did not accommodate Prasad’s clarification, if any, about the allegation. The Indian high commission in London issued a statement saying that “the incident involves sensitive and personal issues -pertaining to the individual. It is premature to make any further comments at this stage.”

Prasad who had earlier served as joint secretary in India’s ministry of external affairs, hogged the limelight ahead of the Delhi Commonwealth Games in October, 2010, when he wrote a letter to the sports ministry about UK government’s allegation that 25,000 pounds sent from the CWG in India to a company, AM films, in UK, is unaccounted for.