Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs
Spokesperson of Indian Foreign Ministry
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The Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs is an Indian government official whose primary responsibility is to serve as the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs and to deal with other media affairs relating to Indian foreign policy. The spokesperson is usually a Joint Secretary or Additional Secretary rank officer, and formally heads the External Publicity division in the Ministry.[1][2][3]
| Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs | |
|---|---|
| External Publicity Division (XP) | |
| Type | Additional Secretary |
| Abbreviation | AS-XP and Spokesperson |
| Seat | Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi |
| Appointer | Ministry of External Affairs |
| Website | Official website |
Currently, Randhir Jaiswal, an officer of the 1998 batch of Indian Foreign Service is the Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs.[1]
Roles and functions
The Official Spokesperson and Joint Secretary (External Publicity) is the interface of the Ministry of External Affairs with the media. Its role includes:
- Releasing statements and giving speeches on behalf of the Ministry of External Affairs or of the Government of India informing its official position.
- Issuing Press Releases.
- Responding to Media queries.
- Media briefings.
List of Official Spokespersons
| # | Name | Photo | From | To | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | Randhir Jaiswal | 3 January 2024 | Incumbent | [4] | |
| 32 | Arindam Bagchi | 21 March 2021 | 2 January 2024 | [5] | |
| 31 | Anurag Srivastava | 7 April 2020 | 20 March 2021 | [6] | |
| 30 | Raveesh Kumar | 21 July 2017 | 6 April 2020 | [7] | |
| 29 | Gopal Baglay | 1 March
2017 |
20 July 2017 | [7] | |
| 28 | Vikas Swarup | 18 April 2015 | 28 February 2017 | [8] | |
| 27 | Syed Akbaruddin | 7 December 2011 | 18 April 2015[8] | ||
| 26 | Vishnu Prakash | 2008 | 2011 | ||
| 25 | Navtej Sarna | 2002 | 2008 | [9] | |
| 24 | Nirupama Rao | 2001 | 2002 | [10] | |
| 23 | Raminder Jassal | 1999 | 2001 | ||
| 22 | Krishan Chander Singh | 1998 | 1999 | ||
| 21 | Pavan Varma | 1997 | 1998 | ||
| 20 | Talmiz Ahmad | 1997 | 1997 | ||
| 19 | 1994 | 1997 | |||
| 18 | 1992 | 1994 | |||
| 17 | 1988 | 1992 | |||
| 16 | 1985 | 1988 | |||
| 15 | 1983 | 1985 | |||
| 14 | 1982 | 1983 | |||
| 13 | 1979 | 1982 | |||
| 12 | 1976 | 1979 | |||
| 11 | A. N. D. Haksar | 1973 | 1976 | ||
| 10 | Shilendra Kumar Singh | 1969 | 1973 | ||
| 9 | A. B. Bhadkar | 1968 | 1969 | ||
| 8 | Rikhi Jaipal | 1967 | 1968 | ||
| 7 | I. J. Bhadur | 1964 | 1967 | ||
| 6 | M. A. Rahman | 1962 | 1964 | ||
| 5 | P. N. Menon | 1959 | 1962 | ||
| 4 | Ramchundur Goburdhun | 1958 | 1959 | ||
| 3 | P. N. Haksar | 1955 | 1958 | ||
| 2 | R Ramamirtham | 1954 | 1955 | ||
| 1 | V R Bhatt | 1949 | 1954 |