Seasoned diplomat Vijay Gokhale will take charge as the next foreign secretary today, succeeding S Jaishankar.
A 1981-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, Gokhale is currently serving as the Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs.
He was India's Ambassador to China before moving back to the MEA in New Delhi. Gokhale will have a two-year tenure as the Foreign Secretary. He has also served as India's top envoy to Germany and worked in Indian missions in Hong Kong, Hanoi and in New York.
Dr Jaishankar was appointed foreign secretary in January 2015, for two years. He was given a one-year extension in January last year.
Earlier this month, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the appointment of Gokhale to the post of Foreign Secretary.