Nepal’s President Bidya Devi Bhandari has appointed economist and former US envoy Dr Shankar Prasad Sharma as the country’s new ambassador to India, an official announcement said on Sunday.

The post of Nepal’s envoy in New Delhi was vacant after ambassador Nilambar Acharya, who was appointed by the previous government, was recalled some six months ago.

Dr Sharma has been appointed as Nepal's Ambassador to India by President Bhandari on the recommendation of the Council of Ministers in accordance with Article 282 of the Constitution of Nepal, the President's office said in a statement.

Sharma had earlier served as Nepal’s ambassador to the United States. He also worked as vice-Chairman of National Planning Commission between 2002 and 2006. He had also served as the chief adviser at the finance ministry.

Sharma holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Hawaii.

He has participated in the UN General Assemblies, annual meetings of the World Bank and the IMF, SAARC Summits, UNESCAP annual meetings and many other international meetings.

Before joining the National Planning Commission as a member in 1997, he worked as a Senior Economist in the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore and as a Fellow in the East-West Center, Hawaii.

Sharma also served as a Professor of Economics at the Centre for Economic Development and Administration, Tribhuvan University.

He worked as a lead consultant to the Constitution Committee on "Distribution of Natural Resources, Economic Rights and Public Revenue" in helping draft the new Constitution of Nepal.

He has published eight books on economy, energy and the environment of the Asia-Pacific region including Nepal. He also worked as a consultant expert in a number of national and international agencies including the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, and UNDP.

Sharma was also an editor to ASEAN Economic Bulletin and a consultant editor to Hydrocarbon Asia, both published from Singapore for about seven years.