Kathmandu, November 3
Sudhakar Dalela, India’s newly appointed ambassador to Nepal, arrived in Kathmandu on Tuesday to assume his responsibilities.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs appointed him as ambassador to Nepal on October 16. Officials from Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Indian Embassy welcomed him at Tribhuvan International Airport.
Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri is scheduled to visit Nepal from Wednesday. Dalela arrived in Kathmandu to take up his new assignment ahead of the visit.
Dalela previously served as Secretary (Economic Relations) at India’s Ministry of External Affairs. This is possibly the first time India has appointed a career diplomat of secretary-level rank at the ministry as its ambassador to Nepal.
Dalela had been serving as Secretary (Economic Relations) since 2025. Before that, he served as India’s ambassador to Bhutan for three years.
In his previous role, he oversaw India’s economic diplomacy, development partnerships with Global South countries, cooperation with Africa, multilateral economic relations and issues related to new and emerging strategic technologies.
Dalela joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1993. He began his diplomatic career in Tel Aviv, Israel. According to India’s Ministry of External Affairs, he has served at Indian diplomatic missions in Brasilia, Chicago, Dhaka, Geneva, Thimphu and Washington DC.
From 2009 to 2011, he worked as a director at the Prime Minister’s Office.
His responsibilities have primarily focused on India’s relations with its South Asian neighbours, East Asia and the Indo-Pacific region, the Gulf, the Middle East and African countries.
He served in the ministry’s Northern Division from 2006 to 2007 and as joint secretary of the same division from 2016 to 2019. During that period, he worked closely on India’s relations with Bhutan and Nepal.
Dalela also has experience in trade and economic policy. He served as director of trade policy at India’s Department of Commerce in New Delhi and has worked twice at India’s Permanent Mission to the World Trade Organization.
He has also served as India’s consul general in the United States. He was minister for political affairs at the Indian Embassy in Washington DC from 2011 to 2014 and deputy chief of mission from 2020 to 2022.
