NEW YORK (TIP): Consul General of India at New York Randhir Kumar Jaiswal, on completion of his tenure extending over 3 years, is moving to Delhi early next month where he will take over as Spokesperson of the External Affairs Ministry. He is succeeding Arindam Bagchi who has been appointed as India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations at Geneva. Ambassador Jaiswal is being succeeded by Binaya Srikant Pradhan who is currently India’s High Commissioner to Tanzania.

Mr. Binaya Srikant Pradhan is a career diplomat and belongs to the 2002 batch of the Indian Foreign Service. As a diplomat, he served in senior positions in Indian Embassies in Moscow, Turkmenistan and Pakistan during 2004-12. During 2012-14, he looked after India’s relationship with Afghanistan and Iran at the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi. During 2014-19, Mr. Pradhan worked as the Chief of Staff to the Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Government of India. He was appointed as India’s High Commissioner to Tanzania in July 2021.

Mr. Pradhan takes keen interest in economic and energy diplomacy. He is also an observer of developments in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia. A widely traveled man, he is fluent in English, Russian, Hindi and native Odiya languages.

He enjoys playing golf.

Mr. Pradhan is married and the couple has two daughters.