The youngest IFS officers who later became ambassadors
Clearing the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) exam is an uphill battle, for it is quite challenging and competitive at the same time. Every year, several people aspire to become successful IFS officers but only a few make their mark. And among these are the rarest of the rare who become ambassadors at a young age! Here are some of the youngest IFS officers-turned-ambassadors.
Rahul Shrivastava is one of youngest Indian ambassadors
Rahul Shrivastava, a 1999-batch IFS officer, is one of India's youngest-ever appointed ambassadors to any country. Shrivastava was appointed as the Ambassador of India to Venezuela in 2015 when he was 40 years old. Before becoming an ambassador, he had served in several prestigious positions in Russia, Kazakhstan, and the United Kingdom as well.
Dr. Pradeep Singh Rajpurohit
Dr. Pradeep Singh Rajpurohit, an IFS officer of the 2004 batch, was named the Ambassador of India to the Republic of Iraq in 2017. The IFS officer was appointed to the post at around 38 years of age. After graduating from the SN Medical College in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, he appeared for the 2003 UPSC CSE, in which he secured AIR-13.
Abhay Kumar, youngest among India's current ambassadors
Abhay Kumar, a 2003-batch IFS officer, is one of the youngest among India's current serving Ambassadors. He was appointed as the Ambassador of India to Madagascar in 2018, aged 38. In 2019, he was concurrently appointed as the Ambassador of India to the Union of the Comoros. He earlier held various diplomatic posts in Russia, Nepal, the UK, and Australia, among other countries.
IFS officer Biraja Prasad was India's Ambassador to Tajikistan
Late Biraja Prasad, who was an IFS officer of the 1998 batch, was also one of India's youngest ambassadors to any country. Prasad, who hailed from Odisha's Bhubaneswar, was appointed as the Ambassador of India to the Republic of Tajikistan in 2015. Unfortunately, the diplomat passed away in 2016 at the age of 43 after suffering a heart attack in Dushanbe.
#5: Former ambassador Moni Chadha
Former ambassador Surinder Mohan Singh Chadha, popularly known as Moni Chadha, is also one of the youngest Indian Ambassadors ever. In 1974, when he was only 37 years old, he was reportedly appointed as the Ambassador of India to Argentina.
