Gupta, Kondapalli win IPA’s youth essay competition

Lalit K Jha is Editor (North America) of Indo-Asia News Service (IANS), one of India’s most respected and widely subscribed independent news agencies. IANS serves media outlets across India, the United States, the Middle East, and Asia, delivering real-time news, features, analyses, and multimedia content to hundreds of digital, print, and broadcast platforms.

Based in Washington, D.C., he is also the founder of 5WH.com, the world’s first virtual newsroom, and New India Abroad, the largest Indian American news outlet. He previously served as Chief US Correspondent of Press Trust of India (PTI) from 2009 to 2025 and has worked with prestigious Indian publications including The Hindu, The Hindustan Times and The Indian Express.

From the U.S. Congress, the White House, the State Department, and the Pentagon, Jha reports on the world’s oldest and most powerful democracy for the world’s largest democracy and its neighbourhood. His work spans American politics, national security, foreign policy, and the evolving dynamics of U.S.–India relations.

A leading voice in Washington on issues central to the Indian American community, he brings more than two decades of frontline reporting experience and delivers authoritative journalism that bridges policy debates in Washington with strategic interests in New Delhi.