Shyam Saran, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s special envoy on climate change, will soon get the rank of Minister of State, a status that was given to Shiv Shankar Menon when he was recently appointed National Security Adviser.
An official order is likely to be issued soon, PMO sources said on Wednesday.
Mr. Saran is a former Foreign Secretary and was three years senior to Mr. Menon in the Foreign Service from which both retired. Mr. Menon retired as Foreign Secretary late last year.
With climate change issue taking a centrestage in the international arena, the Prime Minister was keen on re-designating Mr. Saran, a 1970 batch IFS officer, to carry forward country’s climate diplomacy.
Mr. Menon’s predecessor M K Narayanan, who is now Governor of West Bengal, also held the rank of MoS.
