Diplomats may not fit the bill for an assignment in the finace ministry, but that has not deterred Pranab Mukherjee from bringing in Venu Rajamoni, a senior Indian Foreign Service officer, to deal with the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, Asian Development Bank, International Fund for Agricultural Development and the likes.

Rajamoni, until recently, was posted in Dubai with the energy security division of the ministry of external affairs (MEA)- coordinating oil diplomacy, interacting with nuclear suppliers. Prior to this, he was a private secretary to foreign minister Yashwant Sinha during the NDA regime. For a short while, he had also worked with foreign minister K Natwar Singh during UPA I.

He has also worked as a journalist with a popular english daily in Kerala. He was tipped to be the MEA spokesperson in UPA-II but didn't make it to the post as minister S M Krishna was keen to bring in a Kannadiga IFS officer.

Rajamoni will now be joining the finance ministry in the second week of October as a joint secretary, heading the mulilateral institutions division.

The appointment has come as a seismic experience for the IAS lobby, which is puportedly annoyed over such a sudden shift - that too bringing in a diplomat to the department of economic affairs.