Richard Verma to be sworn-in as US ambassador to India

WASHINGTON: Richard Rahul Verma will be sworn-in as US Ambassador to India on Saturday, becoming the first Indian-American to hold the post.
Verma, 46, was confirmed by the US Senate by a voice vote last week. Secretary of State John Kerry would host the swearing in ceremony of Verma.  Verma is expected to head for New Delhi and present his credentials to President Pranab Mukher-jee, ahead of the visit of US President Barack Obama to India to be the chief guest at the Republic Day parade on January 26.
The US Embassy in New Delhi is currently headed by charge d’affaires Kathleen Stephens.
Verma’s association with Obama goes back to 2008, when he worked on presi-dential debate preparations for the then Illinois senator.  His parents came to the US in the early 1960s. Verma will replace Nancy Powel.
Verma, a former State Department official, will be the first Indian American to hold the post once he is confirmed by Congress. He has been associated with the Obama Administration since 2008, serving as Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs under Hillary Clinton from 2009 to 2011, and is currently a senior counselor at law firm Steptoe & Johnson as well as the Albright Stonebridge Group.
Verma’s appointment comes just before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit on Sept. 29, as Obama attempts to streng-then Indo-U.S. ties. Modi was denied a U.S. visa in 2005 as chief minister of Gujarat, three years after communal riots killed over 1,000 people in his state.(PTI)