He joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1977. From 1979 to 1982 he served at the High Commission in Nairobi,handling political work relating to Kenya and India's relations with Seychelles. From 1982 to 1985 he was Second Secretary (Pol.)/First Secretary (Pol.) at the Indian Embassy in Moscow.[citation needed]
He was Counsellor (Information) at the Indian Embassy,Moscow,from 1993 to 1996,returning to the Ministry of External Affairs,New Delhi,as Director/Joint Secretary and guided India's foreign relations with 22 Central and Eastern European countries,including Russia. In 1999,he was assigned as Minister (Commerce) at the Embassy of India,Washington,D.C.,where he served till 2003. He was also Vice Chairman (2000–2001),First Vice Chairman (2001–2002) and then Chairman (2002–2003) of the International Cotton Advisory Committee.[6]
Ajai Malhotra's served as Ambassador of India to Romania (with concurrent accreditation to Moldova and Albania) from 2003 to 2005.[7][8][9]
He was Ambassador of India to Kuwait from 2009 to 2011.[13][14] He was responsible for expanding the protection of Indian workers in Kuwai and set up a safe house,especially for domestic workers in distress.[15] His tenure was also highlighted by high level visits from India to Kuwait,including by the vice-president of India,Hamid Ansari[14] and S. M. Krishna,[16] former External Affairs Minister.
He was the Ambassador of India to Russia from 16 May 2011 –30 November 2013.[17] His tenure saw the visit of Indian Prime Minister,Manmohan Singh in mid-December 2011 to Russia,and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to India in March 2012 for the BRICS summit in New Delhi. It also saw visits to India in December 2012 by Russian President Vladimir Putin and to Russia by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in September 2013 for the G20 Summit in St. Petersburg and in November 2013 to Moscow for the annual India-Russia Bilateral Summit. The 65th anniversary of bilateral Indo-Russian diplomatic relations was marked with year-long celebrations during his tenure.[18] It also saw the induction of three Talwar-class frigates into the Indian Navy fleet,INS Teg,INS Tarkash,and INS Trikand,[19] as well as India's nuclear powered submarine INS Chakra (2011)[20] and aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya.[21][22]INS Trikand was launched by his wife,Mrs. Ira Malhotra.[23] He retired on 30 November 2013.[24]
Later roles
Since February 2014,Malhotra is the chairman and Managing Trustee of Chikitsa[25] which provides free primary health care in underserved communities and Shiksha[26] which provides free education and vocational training to underprivileged children and youth.
On 15 February 2021,he was elected the Chairperson of the Advisory Committee of the United Nations Human Rights Council,Geneva,the first Indian to hold this position.[35]
In 2011,he was cited by the awards committee of the Palmer Prize for Advancing Democracy,awarded by the Council for a Community of Democracies for his pivotal role in supporting democratic development and development of the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF),and for being a forceful advocate of channelling UNDEF funds to civil society.[37]
In 2015,he was conferred a 'Lifetime Achievement Award' by Hindu College,University of Delhi at its 13th Distinguished Alumni Awards in New Delhi.[38]
Personal life
Ajai Malhotra is married to Ira Malhotra,[39] who is a teacher and was the founding editor of 'Parenting' magazine in India.[40] He launched the warship,the INS Trikand,which was delivered to India from Russia during his tenure.[23]
Bibliography
Malhotra, Ajai (1997). Future Generations and International Law: Earthscan Law and Sustainable Development. Routledge. ISBN1-317-97178-7.
Malhotra, Ajai (2015). India-Russia-China: Is There a Case for Strategic Partnership?. Vij Books India Pvt Limited. ISBN9789384464653.
↑ Mukund Govind Rajan, Global Environmental Politics: India and the North-South Politics of Global Environmental Issues, Oxford University Press, 1997, pp. 24, 71-72
↑ Bob R. LaGamma. "Palmer Prize honors diplomats for Advancing Democracy" (PDF). Council for Community of Democracies. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 July 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
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