"Do my very best", says ex-diplomat and new MoS Hardeep Puri

Puri was among the nine new Ministers of State sworn in by President Ram Nath Kovind at a ceremony in the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

"I am deeply grateful to the Prime Minister for having included me as a member of his team and whichever portfolio is assigned, I will do my very best," he told reporters after taking oath.

Puri, who has decades of diplomatic experience, also appreciated the governments foreign policy, saying "diplomacy is going well and the challenges are being dealt well by the ministers under the guidance of the Prime Minister."

To a query over Modi inducting people with proven administrative abilities in his new team, he said "if you see, they are not only bureaucrats but they also come with experience in their respective fields...it will prove to be good."

A highlight of the third reshuffle of the Modi cabinet in as many years was the induction of bureaucrats like Puri, R K Singh, Satyapal Singh and Kannanthanam, underlining the Prime Ministers efforts to give a fresh impetus to governance.

Puri said he was sure that the good work the government has done in last three years will be continued for the remainder of the term.

Puri, 65, is a 1974-batch of the Indian Foreign Service and has served as Indias Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 2009 to 2013.

Known for his experience and expertise in foreign policy and national security, he is the president and chairman of think-tank Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) and was the vice president of the International Peace Institute, New York.