S. Jaishankar takes charge as foreign secretary

S. Jaishankar on Thursday took charge as the new foreign secretary, replacing incumbent Sujatha Singh.

"My priorities are the government's priorities," Jaishankar told reporters after being asked about his priorities. Jaishankar said it was a "big responsibility" and he was "very honoured" to be assigned the responsibility. Jaishankar, an Indian Foreign Service officer of 1977 batch, has been appointed the new foreign secretary for a period of two years. The appointments committee of the Cabinet, in a decision taken Wednesday, decided to "curtail the tenure" of incumbent Sujatha Singh "with immediate effect". Sujatha Singh had assumed office in August 2013 and was due to retire in August this year.