Why in news?

• Senior diplomat Anupam Ray has been appointed as India’s next permanent representative to the UN Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said recently.
• Ray, a 1994-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, is currently serving as a joint secretary in the MEA’s headquarters in Delhi.
• Ray will replace Pankaj Sharma. Sharma, a 1991 batch Indian Foreign Service officer, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Mexico.