Gopal Baglay appointed as joint secretary in PMO, to be replaced by Raveesh Kumar as MEA spokesperson

Senior diplomat and external affairs ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay was today appointed as joint secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office.

He was appointed in place of Vinay Mohan Kwatra, who has been already named as India’s Ambassador to France.

Raveesh Kumar, a 1995-batch IFS officer, currently posted in Frankfurt as Consul General of India, is understood to be replacing Baglay in the external affairs ministry.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved Baglay’s name for the post for three years, an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said.

Baglay is a 1992 batch Indian Foreign Service officer.

The ACC has also approved that Kwatra and Baglay would work together in the PMO for an overlapping period of two weeks to facilitate smooth transition of work, the order said.

Kumar started his career at the Indian Mission in Jakarta. It was followed by a stint in Thimphu and London.

During his previous tenure in Delhi, he looked after the East Asia desk.