• I.S. Saluja

NEW YORK (TIP): Randhir Kumar Jaiswal, currently Consul General of India at New York,  will succeed the current MEA spokesperson, Arindam Bagchi, who has been appointed as the next Ambassador/Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva.

A 1998 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS)  officer, Mr. Jaiswal, during his diplomatic career spanning two decades, has served with distinction in various capacities within and outside India.

In  India, he served in the external affairs ministry as  deputy secretary, looking after relations with the US and as joint secretary managing ties with countries in western Europe. In mid-2017, he was deputed to serve the President of India as the joint secretary responsible for international relations. His assignments abroad took him to Portugal, Cuba, South Africa and New York at  India’s permanent mission to the UN. He was appointed Consul General at  New York in July 2020. Mr. Jaiswal has also been part of the Indian delegation at climate change conferences.

Speaking with The Indian Panorama, Mr. Jaiswal said he was very much excited to have been appointed to a challenging position and was looking forward to assuming the charge soon.

During the three years that Mr. Jaiswal has been in New York as Consul General, he is credited with introducing systems within the Consulate to ensure ease for everyone seeking consular services. From cutting down  wait time to quick resolution of people’s problems,  he ensured people got satisfactory services. Also, he made the Consulate a welcoming place to all sections of people who organized various types of events aimed at promoting fraternity, cultural values, education, information, trade and commerce, etc.

Mr. Jaiswal worked tirelessly across the ten States in his jurisdiction to introduce the best of India  and to promote better and  stronger  ties between Indian Americans and the non-Indian Americans in almost every sphere. His outreach to American lawmakers, intellectuals, professionals , businesses contributed a lot to a better understanding about India and promoted better relationship  between them and the Indian American community.  People are surely going to miss him. But, as they say, somebody’s loss is somebody’s gain.