Indian Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari presented the 3rd S. K. Singh award for excellence in Indian Foreign Service to Sibi George, deputy chief of mission at the Embassy of India in Riyadh.
Surinder Bhagat, embassy spokesperson, told Arab News on Friday that George was given the award for excellence in foreign services at a function in New Delhi on Thursday evening.
The vice president congratulated George for the outstanding services he rendered to Indian compatriots in the Kingdom.
Ansari himself had served as the Indian ambassador to Saudi Arabia before his elevation to the post of vice-president.
The award is named after the former Foreign Secretary and Governor Shailendra Kumar Singh, a diplomat widely respected within the IFS community for his acumen, professionalism and leadership.
S. K. Singh memorial trust led by Manju Singhi has instituted this award to recognize exceptional work in the field of diplomacy.
George, the 1993 batch IFS officer has been recognized for rendering outstanding services to the Indian community during Saudi campaign on illegal expatriates. His achievements attain more importance given the difficult situation during the grace period.
Expressing his happiness over the recognition, George told Arab News over the telephone, “While this award acknowledges the good work by the recipient, it is also meant to inspire others to excel in the line of duty.”
Senior Indian diplomat D. Bala Venkatesh Varma, a key member of the negotiating team that saw the Indo-US nuclear deal through, was the first recipient of the award “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen India’s position in the global nuclear order”.
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