Salamander to sermon, Harsh Vardhan Shringla's hands full: Modi govt looks to tap into foreign policy expertise

Shringla, who is associated with the World Wide Fund for Nature India (WWF-India), is looking to organise a “golden salamander festival” at Jorepokhri, about 23km from Darjeeling, in November

Harsh V Shringla with wildlife researcher Barkha Subba, who is holding a Himalayan salamander.: Sourced by the Telegraph

Vivek Chhetri, TT, Darjeeling, 16.07.24 : The compulsions of local politics may have denied Harsh Vardhan Shringla a Lok Sabha berth but the former foreign secretary’s hands are full as he shuttles between Delhi and Darjeeling, discharging a range of responsibilities for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Sources close to Shringla said the Centre was keen on using his expertise in foreign affairs in various ways. “Several options are being worked out but the role has not been concretised,” a source said.

Shringla, considered close to Modi, had been poised to bag the BJP ticket from Darjeeling for the general election before being pipped at the post by Raju Bista, who local leaders of the BJP and allies thought was likelier to win.

But he is now gearing for a more proactive and larger role, sources said.

During Modi’s recent Russia visit, Shringla was seen explaining the intricacies of India-Russia relations and the “interconnected nature of global affairs” at different public forums, while also elaborating on the Prime Minister’s foreign policy achievements.

He had undertaken a similar role when Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was in Delhi on June 21 and 22 on a bilateral state visit, the first by a foreign leader during Modi’s third term as Prime Minister. Shringla had been India’s high commissioner to Bangladesh from 2016 to 2019.

“His opinions on foreign affairs are taken seriously across various platforms,” the source added.

Apart from being foreign secretary, Shringla had held key positions as chief coordinator of India’s G20 presidency and India’s ambassador to the US, among others.

“I am spending time between Delhi and Darjeeling. I came to Darjeeling about 10 days back and will be here for another three days,” Shringla told The Telegraph on Monday.

Shringla, who is associated with the World Wide Fund for Nature India (WWF-India), is looking to organise a “golden salamander festival” at Jorepokhri, about 23km from Darjeeling, in November.

“The festival is not just to bring attention to the elusive and highly endangered Himalayan salamander, known as the golden salamander, with the help of a WWF-India team and local stakeholders but also to promote local crafts and culture,” Shringla said.

During his current stay in Darjeeling, Shringla and his WWF-India team have been visiting various places in search of the salamander, a lizard-like amphibian.

“We went to Jorepokhri, which was once abundant in salamanders, but now it is difficult to find one because of the concrete structures that have come up there. We finally managed to find two specimens at a nearby location, called Majhedhura,” Shringla said.

His team is also looking at rejuvenating “ecological habitats” across the Darjeeling hills.

The former diplomat, who has set up an NGO, the Darjeeling Welfare Society (DWS), said the organisation “will be working on different fronts”.

“We have now started a UPSC coaching centre at Southfield College. (It) will be replicated in other institutions, too,” he said.

Plans have also been finalised to renovate 45 schools in the Darjeeling hills with help from various stakeholders, including corporate groups.

The DWS has already organised a career fair in Darjeeling where 270 hill youths were offered jobs by top-notch companies such as the Taj group, TATA Trent, Thomas Cook and Birdy’s.

Shringla brought board members of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, among them top CEOs in America, to Darjeeling to explore investment possibilities. The DWS has also drafted the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation into its efforts towards supplementing the incomes of tea garden workers and small and marginal farmers.

Courtesy & source- The Telegraph

https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/salamander-to-sermon-shringlas-hands-full-modi-govt-looks-to-tap-into-foreign-policy-expertise/cid/2033940