Bengaluru: Prime minister Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe had laid the foundation for India’s first bullet train here in Ahmedabad on September 14. But it was a central official hailing from Karnataka who assisted PM as interpreter in signing several agreements on strategic, financial and development cooperation.
Rajesh Naik who hails from Siddapur in Uttara Kannada serves as the deputy secretary at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). Well-versed in Japanese language, he assisted PM in signing crucial agreements regarding the bullet train between India and Japan.
Son of lawyer N D Naik Aisur and Laxmi Naik, he had dreamt of becoming an IAS officer during his early schooling. Naik secured 7th rank in KAS exam and served as a Treasury Officer in Udupi. While he was preparing for IAS exam in New Delhi, he was selected by Foreign Ministry in 2009 after securing 260th rank in CSE batch.
