The ambassador of India to the United States is the chief diplomatic representative of India to the United States, housed in the Indian Embassy in Washington, D.C. The current ambassador is Vinay Mohan Kwatra.
List of Indian ambassadors to the United States Sr. No.NamePhoto Entered office Left office Notes1st Asaf Ali 1947 1948 Governor of Odisha (1948–1952) Lawyer and veteran of the Indian independence movement.2nd Benegal Rama Rau 1948 1949
4th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (1949–1957) Indian Civil Service (ICS) officer.3rd Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit 1949 1951 President of the United Nations General Assembly (1953–1954) Governor of Maharashtra (1962–1964) First woman to hold these positions.4th Binay Ranjan Sen 1951 1952
Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (1956–67) Played a key role in the global "Freedom from Hunger" campaign.5th Gaganvihari Lallubhai Mehta 1952 1958 Chairman of ICICI (1958–1971) Awarded the Padma Vibhushan (1959).6th M. C. Chagla 1958 1961 Minister of External Affairs (1966–1967) Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court (1948–1958)7th Braj Kumar Nehru 1961 1968 Governor of Jammu and Kashmir (1981–1984) Governor of Gujarat (1984–1986) ICS officer and cousin of Jawaharlal Nehru.8th Ali Yavar Jung 1968 1970 Governor of Maharashtra (1970–1976) Vice-Chancellor of Osmania University (1945–1946; 1948–1952).9th Lakshmi Kant Jha 1970 1973 Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha (1986–1988)
Governor of Jammu and Kashmir (1973–1981) Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (1967–1970) Secretary to the Prime Minister (1964–1966)10th T. N. Kaul 1973 1976 Foreign Secretary (1968–1972) Ambassador to the Soviet Union (1962–1966). ICS officer.11th Kewal Singh 1976 1977 Foreign Secretary (1972–1976) Awarded the Padma Vibhushan (1970). ICS officer.12th Nanabhoy Palkhivala 1977 1979 Eminent jurist and constitutional expert. Leading figure in the Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala case.13th K. R. Narayanan 1980 1984 10th President of India (1997–2002) 9th Vice President of India (1992–1997) 14th Katyayani Shankar Bajpai 1984 1986 Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs (1982–1983) Ambassador to China (1980–1982).15th P. K. Kaul 1986 1989 Cabinet Secretary (1985–1986) Finance Secretary (1983–1985) Defence Secretary (1981–1983)
IAS officer.16th Karan Singh 1989 1990 Governor of Jammu and Kashmir (1965–1967) Union Minister of Education (1973–1977). Titular Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir17th Abid Hussain 1990 1992 Member of the Planning Commission (1985–1990). Commerce Secretary (1981–1985) IAS officer.18th Siddhartha Shankar Ray 1992 1996 Governor of Punjab (1986–1989) Chief Minister of West Bengal (1972–1977). Minister of Education (1971–1972)19th Naresh Chandra 1996 2001 Governor of Gujarat (2004) Cabinet Secretary (1990–1992) Home Secretary (1990) Defence Secretary (1989–1990)20th Lalit Mansingh 2001 2004 Foreign Secretary (1999–2001) High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (1998–1999)21st Ronen Sen August 2004 March 2009 Negotiated the India–United States Civil Nuclear Agreement High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (2002–2004) Ambassador to Russia (1992–1998) 22nd Meera Shankar 2009 2011 India's second woman ambassador to the US. Ambassador to Germany (2005–2009).23rd Nirupama Rao 1 August 2011 5 November 2013 Foreign Secretary (2009–2011) Ambassador to China (2006–2009).24th Subrahmanyam Jaishankar 1 December 2013 28 January 2015 Minister of External Affairs (2019–Present).
Foreign Secretary (2015–2018)25thArun Kumar Singh 6 May 2015 August 2016 Ambassador to France (2013–2015) Ambassador to Israel (2005–2008).26thNavtej Sarna November 2016 20 December 2018 High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (2016) Ambassador to Israel (2008–2012).27th Harsh Vardhan Shringla 11 January 2019 11 January 2020 G20 Chief Coordinator (2022–2023) Foreign Secretary (2020–2022)28thTaranjit Singh Sandhu 6 February 2020 31 January 2024 Lieutenant governor of Delhi (2026-Present) High Commissioner to Sri Lanka (2017–2020)29thVinay Mohan Kwatra13 August 2024Incumbent Foreign Secretary (2022–2024) Ambassador to France (2017–2020) and Nepal (2020–2022)
See also India–United States relations
References
India Ambassador, Official page indianembassy.org Embassay of India, Washington DC-Ambassadors of India to the United States
External links
Official page at Embassy of India, Washington, D.C. Ministry of External Affairs, Official website Ministry of External Affairs, Official Twitter handle