India's Ambassador to China Nirupama Rao was today named as the next Foreign Secretary to succeed Shivshankar Menon who will be retiring on July 31 after an eventful three-year stint as the top diplomat.

Rao, a 1973-batch IFS officer who has served in a number of key positions, will be the second woman Foreign Secretary of India after Chokila Iyer.      

Click here for Cloud Computing

Also Read   Related Stories News Now - NRIs bullish on India's growth: report - 'India will renegotiate emission reduction target' - SBI launches new home loan products - Coal India to go 'Public Ltd' before divestment - Fraport in talks for joint bidding for Navi Mumbai airport - LIC's Nagpur dvn makes 150% sales; tops corp sector

Also Read   Related Stories News Now - Markets end higher led by rate sensitives - New rules to seize property of corrupt babus - BSES gets Rs 5,000-cr IDBI Bank loan to pay dues - Reliance MediaWorks Q3 net loss at Rs 151 cr - Investor wealth grows by Rs 10 lakh cr in 2012 rally More

Earlier, she had served in the Indian Missions in Washington and Moscow besides having a stint in the Ministry of External Affairs as Joint Secretary (East Asia).      

She will be taking over as the top diplomat at a time when India's relations with Pakistan are going through tough times in the aftermath of Mumbai terror attacks.

New Ipad Application :Business Standard's all new IPad App Click here to download for free Other Stories      - Markets end higher led by rate sensitives - New rules to seize property of corrupt babus - BSES gets Rs 5,000-cr IDBI Bank loan to pay dues - Reliance MediaWorks Q3 net loss at Rs 151 cr - Investor wealth grows by Rs 10 lakh cr in 2012 rally

Tags : India | Foreign Secretary | Shivshankar Menon | Indian Foreign Service | Nirupama Rao   Read Business news in  Advertisements -  Now property search gets more exciting than ever before! -  High Growth Business Opportunities in Africa - Register to explore -  We live for our family. have you secured them? -  Office 365 for professionals and small businesses. -  Financial Learning now made easier and more convenient. -  Earn fuel worth Rs.2400 with Citi -  India's No. 1 Property Site. Click here to know more.. -  Get 5% cashback on telephone bills with Citi -  Enjoy the journey as much as the destination. click to know more.. -  Exim Bank Conclave on India - Africa Project Partnership. Know more.. -  Be part of it The World's Largest Aircraft. -  Creating Wealth made simple the SIP way. Know more.. -  Only Developer to give a guarantee on time space & rate. -  Buy Your Property with Our Triple Guarantee in India. -  Improve Patient Care & Experience. Click here to know more -  Win a Business Class Ticket to Europe..Know more.. -   Introduce a New Automotive Luxury Car.. know more -  Health is Wealth..... Insurance + Savings... Know More...