Harsh Vardhan Shringla appointed India’s ambassador to the US

New Delhi, November 20:

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) here on Thursday appointed Harsh Vardhan Shringla as the new Ambassador of India to the United States of America.

Shringla is currently serving as the High Commissioner in Bangladesh.

According to a statement of MEA, Shringla is expected to take up the assignment shortly.

He would be succeeding Navtej Singh Sarna who assumed the office in November 2016.

MEA statement also said that Riva Ganguly Das, presently Director General of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), was on Thursday named as India’s new High Commissioner to Bangladesh.

1986 batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), Das is expected to take up her new assignment shortly, according to a statement issued by the External Affairs Ministry.

She will succeed Harsh Vardhan Shringla, who has been appointed as the new Indian Ambassador to the US.

Das’s appointment assumes significance as Bangladesh is seen as a crucial neighbour under New Delhi’s Neighbourhood First Policy.