Modi's new Foreign Minister S Jaishankar is a career diplomat and former Tata Group employee

• Subrahmanyam Jaishankar was India’s top diplomat till January 2018.
• He had joined the Tata Group as the President of Global Affairs after retiring from service.
• Jaishankar is an expert on foreign affairs in US and Europe to China, Japan, and southeast Asia.

Subrahmanyam Jaishankar was India’s top diplomat till January 2018. Three months later, the $145 billion Tata group, comprising over 100 companies that produce everything from steel to software, announced that Jaishankar would take over as its president for global corporate affairs.

In March 2019, Jaishankar had received the Padma Shri award from President Ram Nath Kovind. Now, he has been appointed as the Minister for External Affairs in the Modi government that has come back to power for a second consecutive term.

He was the country's longest-serving foreign secretary and has helped craft much of Modi's foreign policy. He joined Indian Foreign Service in 1977 and served as Indian Ambassador to the United States in 2014 and 2015. He was India's ambassador to China from 2009 to 2013, and to the Czech Republic from 2001 to 2004.

He also planned and executed a highly successful maiden visit of Prime Minister Modi to the US in September 2014 and his landmark address to the Indian diaspora at the Madison Square.

A major highlight of his diplomatic career was his tenure as Joint Secretary in-charge of Americas Division from 2004 to 2007 when he was involved in negotiating the historic Civil Nuclear Agreement.

He also led the Indian team of negotiators for the subsequent 123 Agreement with the US, which was linked to the Civil Nuclear deal and concluded in 2009.

Jaishankar's tenure as India's Ambassador to China from 2009 to 2013, which was the longest by any IFS officer, coincided with several major developments in bilateral relations.

It was his briefing to the Cabinet Committee on Security in 2010 regarding China's refusal to issue a visa to the Northern Army Commander which led to suspension of Indian defence co-operation with China and military exercises, before the matter was resolved in April 2011.

Also in 2010, Jaishankar negotiated an end to the Chinese policy of issuing stapled visas to Indians from Jammu and Kashmir.

Jaishankar also had to do some fire-fighting for the Modi government as a foreign secretary when the opposition parties raised the ante on the final deal to purchase 36 Rafale fighter jets from French company Dassault.

"Jaishankar has an extremely good relationship with Modi, even before his term as foreign secretary," G Parthasarathi told India Today.

Jaishankar is also the son of K Subrahmanyam, an extremely influential foreign affairs expert in the country, a journalist and a former civil servant. He played a key role in determining India's global stance on key issues including the country's nuclear doctrine.

With inputs from IANS

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