Rajya Sabha member Harsh Vardhan Shringla was nominated to the Upper House of Parliament by the President of India, after a diplomatic career spanning over three decades. A 1984-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, he served as the country’s foreign secretary from 2020 to 2022 and as chief co ordinator for India’s G20 Presidency, following earlier roles as Ambassador to the United States, High Commissioner to Bangladesh, and Ambassador to Thailand. Educated at Mayo College, Ajmer, and St Stephen’s College, Delhi, Shringla combines strategic insight with a deep connection to his roots in Darjeeling, where he has supported livelihood programmes, UPSC coaching for local youth, and assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic. He continues to contribute actively to policy discussions on India’s external relations. In an exclusive interview with NIKHIL VYAS of THE STATESMAN, the MP talks about Indian diplomacy, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the G20 Summit hosted by India in 2023, global trade, and North Bengal. Edited excerpts:
Q: You have handled big-power relations as well as sensitive neighbourhood issues. What, in your view, is the biggest diplomatic challenge India faces today?
A: If I have to put it in one line, the biggest diplomatic challenge for India today is to safeguard our interests in a world that is becoming more competitive and fractured, while keeping our neighbourhood peaceful and stable. We are living through sharp competition among major powers, and that competition is now playing out everywhere – in technology, supply chains, finance, even in narrative battles. India cannot afford to be pulled into someone else’s camp, nor can we be indifferent to issues that affect our security and growth. So the challenge is to maintain strategic autonomy while building strong partnerships where they serve India’s interests. At the same time, our immediate neighbourhood is not insulated from these global currents. Economic stress, political transitions, and external influence in South Asia can quickly create security or humanitarian spill overs for us. Keeping the neighbourhood oriented towards cooperation, connectivity, and mutual benefit – without letting rivalries or competition destabilize/ weaken it is a constant test of diplomacy.
Q: During the Russia–Ukraine conflict , you oversaw t h e repatriation of thousands of Indian students. What made that mission particularly complex, and how did the team ensures safety under such high-risk conditions?
A: The evacuation was complex because the situation on the ground was changing by the hour. Hostilities escalated very quickly, key cities where our students were located came under shelling, and normal lines of movement simply collapsed. With Ukrainian airspace closed, the usual option of direct air evacuation was not available. We also had to deal with crowding at border points, disrupted communications, and the fact that young students were scattered across different locations, often in bunkers or shelters. Our approach was to create multiple safe exit routes rather than rely on one. Under Operation Ganga, we identified land corridors through neighbouring countries – Poland, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia, and where needed Moldova – and positioned teams there in advance. Russian-speaking and local-language officers were deployed at the border posts, while a 24×7 control room in Delhi and in our missions coordinated live advisories and transport. Equally important was continuous diplomatic engagement – with the Ukrainian authorities, the Russian side, and governments of neighbouring countries – to ensure humanitarian corridors and safe passage when convoys moved. Every step was calibrated to one priority: no panic, no single-point failure, and maximum safety for our students. The Government kept families informed throughout. In the end, over 22,000 Indians were brought home through around 90 flights and onward movements.
Q: You coordinated the G20 Summit hosted by India in 2023 – one of the biggest diplomatic events in recent years. What key developments have resulted from the Summit, and how has the G20 contributed to the growth and development of North Bengal?
A: The G20 in 2023 was not just a summit in Delhi. It was a year-long national effort, under the leadership and guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and its outcomes are already shaping India’s engagement with the world, as well as creating very concrete local benefits. At the national and global level, a few things stand out. First, at a time of deep global divisions, India achieved a full consensus on the New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration. That matters because it kept the G20 focused on growth, development, climate action and reform of multilateral institutions. Second, India placed the priorities of the Global South at the centre. The African Union’s inclusion as a permanent member was a historic step, and a clear signal that development voices must have equal space at the table. Third, we created practical, forward-looking initiatives. The G20 gave strong political endorsement to Digital Public Infrastructure for inclusive growth, and launched platforms like the Global Biofuel Alliance and the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor, all aimed at resilient supply chains and cleaner, faster connectivity. Talking about North Bengal specifically, the region hosted an important G20 meeting: Siliguri and Darjeeling hosted the second G20 Tourism Working Group meeting. Delegates from G20 countries and international organisations saw North Bengal’s potential first-hand.
Q. What did that achieve?
A. One, it put North Bengal on the global tourism and MICE map. When influential countries review a destination together, it creates and amplifies visibility. We framed this meeting precisely to position Siliguri–Darjeeling as a serious international tourism and conference destination. Two, it strengthened the push for better infrastructure and services. Tourism today depends on last-mile connectivity, clean towns, good digital access, and sustainable facilities. The G20 tourism roadmap endorsed by member countries aligns directly with what North Bengal needs to grow tourism without harming its ecology. Three, it opened livelihood opportunities. For a region where homestays, tea tourism, adventure circuits, monasteries, wildlife and cultural heritage can generate large numbers of local jobs, global attention translates into more footfall, longer stays and higher spending in the local economy.
Q: As India strengthens its position in the global trade land scape , how is Indian diplomacy contributing to improving connectivity and fostering stronger cross-border collaborations for sustainable economic growth?
A: Indian diplomacy is increasingly focused on something very practical: making it easier, cheaper and safer for goods, energy, people and data to move across borders. That is essential if India is to anchor global value chains and expand its trade footprint. So, on the one hand, we are shaping partnerships that come with real connectivity outcomes. The India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor announced during our G20 presidency is a good example. It combines ports, rail, logistics, clean-energy linkages and digital cables to shorten routes and reduce risk. In a fragmented world, resilient corridors matter as much as tariff reductions. At the same time, our neighbourhood and extended region are central to this approach. Through Neighbourhood First and Act East, India is working on cross-border roads, rail links, waterways and port access that connect our growth with our neighbours’ growth. When you build shared infrastructure and facilitate trade and mobility, you create stronger economic interdependence. Q: How do you plan to utilise your diplomatic experience to strengthen India’s role in global policy-making and enhance its competitiveness on the world stage? A: My entry into Parliament is, for me, a continuation of public service in a different form. The world today is shaped as much by decisions we take at home as by negotiations abroad. So I see value in bringing a practitioner’s perspective in to Parliament , especially on matters where India’s external engagement and domestic strength are closely linked. From my time in diplomacy, one lesson is very clear: global policy is being written in real time – on technology standards, AI and data governance, supply-chain resilience, climate action, and reform of multilateral bodies. India needs to shape these rules early, with confidence, and in a way that protects our strategic autonomy while advancing development goals.
Q: What key priorities do you a im to address during the ongoing Winter session of Parliament?
A: My focus will be on issues that relate to West Bengal and North East India , including developmental and environmental issues, challenges faced by the tea industry; among others. In addition, I propose to raise issues relating to use of technology, nuclear energy, international trade and commerce, foreign policy, defence, and strategic issues.