Nirupa Rao was born on 6 Dec., 1950. After obtaining a Master's Degree in English Literature from Marathwada University in Maharashtra, she joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1973.
A career diplomat, 58-year-old Rao had served as the Indian envoy to Sri Lanka and the country's first woman spokesperson prior to her posting in Beijing as Ambassador in October 2006.
Rao’s name has been sent for approval to the Cabinet Committee on Appointments, reliable sources told IANS. A formal announcement is expected to be made soon.
In her decades-long diplomatic career, Rao has served as India’s ambassador to Sri Lanka and Peru, deputy chief of mission in Moscow and spokesperson of the external affairs ministry.
She is married to Sudhakar Rao, a senior civil servant and member of the Indian Administrative Service. The couple have two sons, aged 26 and 16.