Dr. Kheya Bhattacharya is a retired Indian IFS officer who was formerly Ambassador of India to Morocco from 2016 to 2019. Ms. Bhattacharya has an impeccable academic record, having graduated with a First Class in Zoology (Honours) from Miranda House, Delhi University, she obtained her Masters in Molecular Biology from Columbia University, New York and completed her Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi having been awarded a Gold Medal for her research.
Dr. Bhattacharya joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1985 and had a long and illustrious career within it. As a diplomat she was entrusted with multilateral assignments in Europe, Africa and other countries neighboring India.
- Was appointed Second Secretary (EEC) in India’s Mission in Brussels from 1986 to 1989, and First Secretary (Information, Culture) in Dhaka from 1992 to 1994
- Was posted in Paris as Counsellor (Political) from 1997 to 2000 and participated in the establishment of the Strategic Dialogue between India and France. from 2004 to 2007 Ms. Bhattacharya was Deputy Chief of Mission in Kathmandu, Nepal
- Was appointed Deputy Permanent Representative in India’s Permanent Mission to the UN, Geneva, from 2009 to 2013, where she participated actively in the affairs of the UN Bodies including HRC, UNHCR, WHO, ILO and the WMO. Her contribution was pivotal in the creation of the Global Framework for Climate Services and its related institutions
- Worked as Under Secretary in the Americas Division (from 1989 to 1991), subsequent to which she was nominated by the Foreign Ministry to study at the Institute Internationale d’Administration Publique in France in May 1991
- Was part of the prestigious Foreign Service Programme of Oxford University from September 1991 to July 1992 where she was awarded an “Outstanding” Grade
- Was Additional Secretary and Senior Directing Staff, and a faculty member in the prestigious National Defense College from 2013 to 2016, overseeing the research work of more than 60 senior officers (at the rank of Brigadier and equivalent) of Foreign and Indian Army, Navy, Air Force and the civil services
- Dr. Kheya Bhattacharya’s final stint in the foreign ministry was as Ambassador of India to Morocco from 2016 to 2019. During her tenure, India-Morocco relations intensified to a historical high. She facilitated the establishment of the Centre for Excellence in IT, Casablanca, training 500 Moroccan students per annum; she was ICCR Chair of Hindi Language and Indian Studies in Mohammed V University, Rabat; India-Morocco economic relations also consolidated further under her, with annual trade figures reaching US$ 2.0 billion and Visa Facilitation for Businessmen being operationalized.
Ambassador Bhattacharya superannuated as Ambassador (Secretary to the Government of India) in February 2019 from Embassy of India, Morocco.
Since her superannuation, Dr. Bhattacharya has continued to pursue activities in the academic sphere. She has, on invitation, given lectures at the National Defense College, Sri Ramakrishna Institute for Culture, Kolkata, and at Janki Devi Memorial College, Delhi University. She has translated from Bengali to English a book of children’s’ folklore narrated by the Mother in French for Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Delhi Branch. On invitation from Haryana Institute of Public Administration, Gurugram, Dr. Bhattacharya has been training senior Officers of the Haryana Civil Services through a training programme on Global Issues such as Climate Change and Cyber Security. The training prog which started in October 2020 goes on till April 2021.
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Global Impact of India