Overview
Subrahmanyam Jaishankar (born 9 January 1955) is an Indian politician and retired diplomat serving as the Minister of External Affairs since 2019. A member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he is a member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian parliament. He is the longest-serving minister to hold the External Affairs portfolio exclusively.
Jaishankar was born in Delhi in a Tamil Hindu family. He was schooled in Delhi and Bengaluru, and completed his bachelor's degree in chemistry from St. Stephen's College, Delhi. He went on to obtain a master's degree in political science, followed by an M.Phil. and a PhD in international relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University.
He joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1977 and had a diplomatic career spanning over 38 years, serving in various capacities in India and abroad. His postings included Ambassador to the Czech Republic (2001–2004), High Commissioner to Singapore (2007–2009), Ambassador to China (2009–2013), and Ambassador to the United States (2014–2015). From 2004 to 2007, he served as Joint Secretary (Americas) at the Ministry of External Affairs and was among the officials involved in the negotiation of the India–United States Civil Nuclear Agreement. He served as Foreign Secretary of India from 2015 to 2018, and retired from the service in 2018. In January 2019, he was conferred with the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian honour.
After retirement, Jaishankar briefly served as President of Global Corporate Affairs with the Tata Group from 2018 to early 2019. In May 2019, he was sworn in as a cabinet minister in the second Modi ministry, becoming the first former Foreign Secretary of India to head the Ministry of External Affairs as cabinet minister. In June 2024, he was re-appointed to the post in the third Modi ministry following the BJP-led coalition's victory in the 2024 Indian general elections.