The Centre has decided to upgrade its diplomatic presence at the UN before taking over as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (UNSC) in January 2021 by appointing an additional deputy permanent representative (DPR) and a counselor to handle UNSC matters.

External affairs minister S Jaishankar will review India’s stint at the UNSC every month. As per sources, R Ravindran (IFS:1999) and presently joint secretary (Central and West Africa) will join the Indian Permanent Mission to the UN in New York with a rank equivalent to that of a DPR. Pratik Mathur (IFS: 2007) and deputy secretary (PMO) will join as a counselor.

While the mission is headed by T S Tirumurti and has Nagaraj Naidu as DPR, the two officers will join the group before the 75th UN General Assembly opens on September 15, 2020. Ravindran served in the office of the Indian permanent representative to the UN under Hardeep Singh Puri, now minister of civil aviation, urban development and commerce, who headed the mission when India was a non-permanent member in 2011-2012.

While India got 184 out of 192 valid votes cast for the UNSC seat, the vote numbers surprised New Delhi as India’s adversaries, particularly Pakistan, Turkey, Malaysia and backed by Islamabad’s all-weather friend China had spread negativity about the revocation of article 370 in Kashmir on August 5 last year.