Bairagi replaces Regmi as chief secretary

KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 1

The government today appointed Foreign Secretary Shanker Das Bairagi as the chief secretary, the highest post in Nepal’s bureaucracy after incumbent Chief Secretary Lok Darshan Regmi resigned today from the post a few days before his tenure was to end.

This undated image shows Foreign Secretary Shanker Das Bairagi. Photo courtesy: MoFA, Nepal

Bairagi, who is a permanent resident of Parbat district, had joined Nepal Foreign Service in 1987. He had assumed the responsibility of foreign secretary on 11 October 2015.

He has held several posts in the MoFA, as well as Nepali Missions abroad. He was ambassador/permanent representative of Nepal to the United Nations, World Trade Organisation and other International Organisations in Geneva, as well as international organisations based in Vienna and Rome, from February 2012 to November 2013.

Bairagi graduated in law from Nepal Law Campus in 1989 and completed his master’s degree in political science from Tribhuvan University in 1995. He also obtained a master’s degree in European Integration and Development (Euromaster) from Free University of Brussels in 2002.

The chief secretary can serve for three years or until the age of 58, whichever comes first. Bairagi, who was born on 26 January 1966, will turn 58 in 2024.

According to government Spokesperson and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, Bairagi was appointed chief secretary after Regmi quit the post today as the government recommended him for the post of Nepal’s ambassador to the United Kingdom.

The government has also recommended former finance minister Yubaraj Khatiwada for the post of Nepal’s ambassador to the United States of America. Khatiwada was recently appointed chief economic adviser to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.

It has recommended Nirmla Kumar Bishwakarma for the post of Nepal’s ambassador to South Africa.

Regmi, Khatiwada and Bishwakarma will be appointed as ambassadors after the Parliamentary Hearing Committee okays the government’s recommendation.

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