The Indian government has extended the tenure of the Ambassador to the US Taranjit Sandhu by a year until January 31, 2024. The officer was due to retire in January 2023.
He is a 1988 batch Indian Foreign Service officer and succeeded Harsh Vardhan Shringla as the US Ambassador in February 2020.
"The President of India is pleased to re-employ Taranjit Singh Sandhu (IFS:1988), an officer of Grade 1 of IFS, as Ambassador of India to the United States of America, for a period of 01 year with effect from 01.02.2023 to 31.01.2024 or until further orders." the notification published in the Gazette of India stated.
He has served in Washington DC thrice, handled the Congress between 1997 and 2000, as the deputy chief of mission between 2013 and 2017, and as the ambassador from early 2020.
Sandhu said at the Indian Independence Day celebration in August, "The US will be a key partner in India’s journey in the next 25 years as it aspires to ascend to new heights of prosperity, terming the bilateral ties as one of the most consequential relationships.
“His extension will help consolidate US-India relations and take it to new heights,” president and CEO of US India Strategic and Partnership Forum, Mukesh Aghi, said in a statement.
Congratulating Sandhu on his extension till 2024, Aghi said the ambassador has been a veteran of US-India relations, and an exceptional asset to the U.S.-India partnership, shepherding this relationship to new heights.
“He has seen the evolution of the strategic partnership through his multiple years of experience in the U.S., right from his earlier years in the foreign service in the late 90s, to his stint as DCM and now as Ambassador in Washington,” Aghi said.
“Ambassador Sandhu brings unparalleled expertise and experience in his interactions with both the legislature and executive branches of the US government,” Aghi said.
