Sudhakar Dela, working as Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, will be the next Ambassador of India to Nepal. Dalela will replace Naveen Srivastava, who recently completed his three-year tenure and retired. A day ago, Nepal approved the name of Nischal Nath Pandey as its ambassador to India. The appointment of Sudhakar Dela in Nepal is being considered very important in terms of India-Nepal relations. Dela led the negotiations for the BRICS manifesto Let’s know who is Sudhakar Dela.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs on Friday (October 16), Sudhakar Dela, who is currently serving as Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Nepal. The Ministry of External Affairs said that it is hoped that he will take charge soon. The appointments come at a time when New Delhi and Kathmandu are working to plan Prime Minister Balen Shah’s first bilateral visit to India next month.

Balen Shah is likely to come to India in November

The appointment comes at a time when Nepal’s Prime Minister Balen Shah is likely to visit India in November. Sudhakar Dela has good experience in relations and diplomatic affairs with Nepal. His appointment is expected to boost dialogue between the two countries on pending issues and bilateral projects.

Sudhakar Dela remained in the headlines

Sudhakar Dela was recently in the news for building a consensus among member countries on the announcement of the BRICS summit. As BRICS’s chief negotiator, DeLa led the negotiations and played an important role in building consensus among member states. His experience in multilateral negotiations as India’s ambassador to Nepal is also being considered useful.

Journey of Sudhakar Dela

Sudhakar Dela is a 1993 batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service. He is currently working as Secretary Economic Relations in the Ministry of External Affairs. Served as Ambassador of India to Bhutan from 2022 to 2025.

He was appointed Economic Relations Secretary in September last year. In this role, he handled India’s economic diplomacy, development partnerships and multilateral economic relations with countries in the ‘Global South’. He has also been India’s ‘Sherpa’ (Chief Negotiator) for BRICS, IBSA and I2U2.

Due to the war in West Asia, the BRICS countries were divided and polarized, it was difficult for India to bridge the gap between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Iran. Drafting the BRICS manifesto was considered a very challenging task diplomatically. But, as the BRICS Sherpa (Chief Negotiator), Dela led a team of negotiators and managed to build a consensus among all parties, resulting in this declaration.

Worked in many important positions

Sudhakar Dela has held many important positions in New Delhi. During the tenure of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (2009-2011), he was Director in the Prime Minister’s Office. During this period, his main focus was on India’s relations with its South Asian neighbours, East Asia, the Indo-Pacific region, the Gulf countries, the Middle East and Africa.

He worked as Director (North) in 2006-07. Subsequently, between 2016 and 2019, he was Joint Secretary (North) in the Ministry of External Affairs, where he handled India’s relations with Bhutan and Nepal.

Diplomatic career started in Tel Aviv

Della began his diplomatic career in Tel Aviv. After this he worked in various positions in Brazil, Dhaka, Chicago and Washington. In America, he was the Consul General of India in Chicago. He also served as Minister of Political Affairs in Washington from 2011 to 2014 and Deputy Chief of Mission at the Indian Embassy from 2020 to 2022.

The appointment of a secretary-level officer in Kathmandu is a step forward from the earlier practice. Earlier, India usually sent officials above the rank of Secretary to Kathmandu. This increase in the level of Indian ambassador shows that bilateral relations with the neighboring country are now being given more importance. Announcing Dela’s appointment on Friday evening, the Ministry of External Affairs said it is expected that he will assume his duties soon.

Emphasis on developing mutual relationships

His appointment in Nepal comes at a time when both India and Nepal are working to enhance mutual relations, resolve pending disputes and accelerate development projects. It is believed that Prime Minister Balen Shah will visit India in November. In the meantime, the two sides are gearing up for talks on infrastructure projects and trade, as well as long-standing border disputes and new air routes.