Vikas Swarup appointed as MEA spokesman

Diplomat Vikas Swarup was appointed as an official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on 25 March 2015. Swarup a 1986 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer is also author of bestseller debut novel Q&A, on which the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire was based.

Swarup succeeds incumbent spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin and will take the charge of the office on 18 April 2015.

Syed Akbaruddin, who became the spokesman of MEA in December 2011, has been appointed as Chief Coordinator of the Indo-Africa Forum Summit. The India-Africa Summit is scheduled to be hosted by New Delhi on 29 October 2015.

At the time of appointment, Swarup was heading the UN Political division of the ministry. Earlier, he has served in several countries like Turkey, US, UK, Japan and South Africa. He has also served as a director of the sensitive PAI (Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran) division.

As a novelist, he has published three books namely Q&A (published in 43 languages), Six Suspects and The Accidental Apprentice.