According to the Economic Times, over a dozen senior and influential US public servants, including serving and retired Senators and Congressmen are being considered as successor to Powell. Shah’s name is also doing rounds.
US Ambassador to India Nancy Powell retired from her post on Monday. Although rumours were strife that she resigned due to Devyani Khobrahade issue, US insisted that it was a normal course in her career and that she retired.
Rumours were also there signaling that Powell resigned due to BJP PM nominee Narendra Modi, whom she had met last week, and who is most likely to sit in the PMO. It was being said that Powell due to her differences with Modi over 2002 Gujarat riots had said that she will resign if the latter comes to power.
The latest news is that head of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID ), Indian-Amerian Rajiv Shah is likely to replace Powell.
According to the Economic Times, over a dozen senior and influential US public servants, including serving and retired Senators and Congressmen are being considered as successor to Powell. Shah’s name is also doing rounds.
However, ET further reports that the Washington is divided about appointing an young Indian-American to the post. Rajiv Shah, 41, is considered a rising star in the US bureaucracy but diplomatic circles in both Delhi and Washington are demanding an effective Ambassador who can arrest the drift in ties.
Shah’s Indian origin may make him or appear to be biased in his opinions. Also, his age may pose a problem for receiving proper regards.
Prior to becoming USAID’s administrator, Rajiv Shah has served as undersecretary for research, education and economics, and as chief scientist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). There, he was mainly involved in launching the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, which significantly elevated the status and funding of agricultural research.
He has also served with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for a time period of seven years including as the director of agricultural development in the Global Development Program, and as Director of Strategic Opportunities.
Rajiv Shah holds a medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania Medical School and a master degree in health economics from the Wharton School of Business. He attended the London School of Economics and is a graduate from the University of Michigan.
