New Delhi [India]: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has announced the appointment of Namrata S Kumar as the next Ambassador of India to Latvia. Kumar, an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer from the 1997 batch, is currently serving as India’s Ambassador to Slovenia. She is expected to assume her new role soon, according to an official statement by the MEA.
In the announcement, the MEA stated, “Ms. Namrata S. Kumar (IFS: 1997), presently Ambassador of India to Slovenia, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Latvia. She is expected to take up the assignment shortly.”
Namrata S Kumar brings a wealth of experience to her new role, having served in various diplomatic capacities. Her prior assignments include postings at Indian Missions in Cairo, Egypt (1999-2002), Paris, France (2007-2011), and as Deputy Chief of Mission in the United Arab Emirates (2011-2014).
At the MEA headquarters in New Delhi, Kumar has managed diverse portfolios, including the Disarmament, Central Europe, and Archives & Records Management Divisions, as stated by the Embassy of India in Slovenia.
Before her current position in Slovenia, which she assumed on August 13, 2020, Kumar served as Deputy Director General of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) from 2015 to 2020.
Notably, Kumar is the first foreign service officer to be deputed to a state government. During her tenure with the Uttarakhand Government, she served as Additional Secretary for Rural Development (2002-2004) and Education, as well as Director of the State Literacy Mission and State Project Director for the World Bank-funded Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (Education for All Programme) from 2004 to 2007.