Ranjan Mathai takes charge as Foreign Secretary

Mr Ranjan Mathai, India's ambassador to France, will be the next Foreign Secretary, succeeding Ms Nirupama Rao. A 1974-batch IFS officer, 59-year-old Mr Mathai will assume charge on August 1 and will have a two-year term, an official spokesperson announced on Monday. Mr Mathai, who did his M.A. in Political Science from Pune University, has served in Indian missions in Vienna, Colombo, Washington, Tehran and Brussels. — PTI