Vikas Swarup, the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, was on Thursday appointed as lndia's High Commissioner to Canada.
Swarup, an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer of the 1986 batch, is presently Additional Secretary. He is expected to take up his new assignment shortly, an official statement said.
Swarup will replace Arun Kumar Sahu who is currently working as acting Indian High Commissioner to Canada.
Many thanks for all the good wishes on my appointment as High Commissioner to Canada.Look forward to the new innings in that amazing country
— V S (@VikasSwarup) February 16, 2017
Swarup has been serving as the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs since April 2015. Prior to that, he was Joint Secretary in-charge of the United Nation's Division of the Ministry of External Affairs.
Swarup has previously served in Turkey, the United States, Ethiopia, the United Kingdom, South Africa and Japan.
Swarup, a well-known author, penned the novel "Q & A", which was adapted in film as "Slumdog Millionaire", the winner of Best Film for the year 2009 at the Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards and BAFTA Awards