Skand Ranjan Tayal

Ambassador (Retd) Skand Ranjan Tayal joined the Indian Foreign Service (1976). He served in Indian Missions in Sofia, Warsaw, Geneva and Moscow.  He was India’s Consul General in Johannesburg (1996-98) and Houston (2002-05), and Ambassador of India to Uzbekistan (2005-08). He was Ambassador of India to the Republic of Korea during 2008-11.

Ambassador Tayal was Secretary of the Indian National Commission for UNESCO during 1991-95 and served briefly as the Director in charge of IITs in the Department of Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development. He was Joint Secretary (Consular, Passport and Visa) in the Ministry of External Affairs and the Chief Passport Officer of India during 1999-2002.

He introduced far reaching reforms in the passport issue system including comprehensive computerization, machine printing of passports and Tatkal Scheme for fast track issue of passports. Ambassador Tayal has wide experience in both bilateral and multilateral diplomacy & has authored the book, ‘India and Republic of Korea: Engaged Democracies’ in 2013.