Nepal appoints ex-US envoy Shankar Prasad Sharma as new Ambassador to India
According to an official announcement on Sunday, Nepal's President Bidya Devi Bhandari has appointed economist and former US envoy Dr Shankar Prasad Sharma as the country's new Ambassador to India. The position of Nepal's envoy in New Delhi had been vacant since Ambassador Nilambar Acharya, who had been appointed by the previous government, was recalled six months ago. According to the President's office, Dr Sharma was appointed as Nepal's Ambassador to India by President Bhandari on the recommendation of the Council of Ministers, in accordance with Article 282 of the Nepalese Constitution. Sharma was previously Nepal's Ambassador to the United States. Between 2002 and 2006, he served as Vice Chairman of the National Planning Commission. Sharma, a senior economist, was also the Ministry of Finance's chief advisor. Sharma has a doctorate in economics from the University of Hawaii. He has attended UN General Assemblies, World Bank and IMF annual meetings, SAARC Summits, UNESCAP annual meetings, and numerous other international gatherings. Prior to becoming a member of the National Planning Commission in 1997, he worked as a Senior Economist at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore and as a Fellow at the East-West Center in Hawaii.Sharma was also a Professor of Economics at Tribhuvan University's Center for Economic Development and Administration. He served as a lead consultant to Nepal's Constitution Committee on "Distribution of Natural Resources, Economic Rights, and Public Revenue" in drafting the country's new constitution. He has written eight books about the Asia-Pacific region's economy, energy, and environment, including one about Nepal. He also worked as a consultant expert for a number of national and international organizations, including the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, and the United Nations Development Program .