India appoints new point person for Gulf affairs
Kirti Vardhan Singh assumed charge as Minister of State in the MEA on June 11
New Delhi: India's External Affairs Minister, Dr S Jaishankar has appointed Kirti Vardhan Singh, Minister of State, as the new point person for the Gulf region.
This follows the constitution of India's new Council of Ministers on 9th June after elections to Parliament's lower House, the Lok Sabha.
Singh assumed charge as Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on June 11. He was given charge of the Gulf in the division of MEA work among ministers by Jaishankar. It was notified to the public through an organogram that was updated yesterday to reflect changes.
Singh will have concurrent charge of consular, passports and visa work, among other subjects. He will also deal with Overseas Indian Affairs. Both are subjects of vast interest in the Gulf because of a large Indian diaspora in the GCC countries.
India has a combined division for consular, passports and visas as well as Overseas Indian Affairs in the MEA. Muktesh Kumar Pardeshi will continue as the senior-most civil servant assisting Singh in this work.