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Meta India Public Policy Head Transition
Meta India public policy head Shivnath Thukral is set to leave his position at the end of this month. Thukral joined Meta (formerly Facebook) in 2017 and has spent nearly seven and a half years with the organisation, undertaking various policy roles. He was appointed director of public policy for Meta India in November 2022 after the departure of Rajiv Aggarwal.
Before this, Thukral held the position of director of public policy at WhatsApp India for approximately four years. In March 2024, he was promoted to Meta’s vice-president for public policy.
In a LinkedIn post on June 11, Thukral remarked that it was a challenging decision to make, but he feels confident that Meta’s policy engagement with stakeholders is at a strong and constructive stage, providing a solid foundation for further development. He expressed trust in the team’s ability to manage future challenges independently after having contributed to the establishment of various systems and processes.
At present, Thukral’s next steps remain uncertain. He mentioned intentions to focus more on running, health, and family, indicating a commitment to lifelong learning and the anticipation of sharing updates on his future endeavors that would allow him to gain new experiences and tackle different challenges.
India, with a combined user base exceeding one billion monthly users, is the largest market for Meta’s family of applications, including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. The country plays a critical role in Meta’s growth, especially concerning its initiatives in artificial intelligence.
Since the start of 2025, the social media giant has collaborated with the state governments of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Odisha to establish WhatsApp-based citizen service delivery models, all aimed at facilitating citizens’ access to government services and schemes swiftly.
Furthermore, both the Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra governments have entered into agreements to utilise Llama for various backend services, including document retrieval, to enhance productivity and efficiency among government employees.
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