Ministry of External Affairs (India)

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Template:Short description Script error: No such module "For". Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use Indian English Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". The Ministry of External Affairs (abbreviated as MEA; ISO: Script error: No such module "lang".Template:Efn) is India's foreign ministry. The ministry is tasked with formulating and implementing India's foreign policy and representing India on the global stage. The Ministry is headed by the Minister of External Affairs, a member of the Prime Minister's Cabinet. The Minister is typically assisted by one or more junior ministers, known as Ministers of State (MoS) for External Affairs. The Foreign Secretary of the Republic of India is the senior-most non-elected official and the administrative head of the ministry.

The Ministry of External Affairs operates more than 200 diplomatic missions around the world through which it represents the Government of India on the international stage. In addition, the Ministry is responsible for India's representation at the United Nations and other international organizations. The Ministry is also responsible for the repatriation of Indian citizens in danger abroad and in the extradition of fugitives who have fled India. The Ministry of External Affairs may also advise other ministries and state governments in their interactions with foreign entities and brief them on pertinent international developments.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, consisting of elected members from both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, is tasked with this ministry's legislative oversight.

History

The Ministry was initially the Ministry of External Affairs and Commonwealth Relations, a holdover from the British Raj. It was renamed the Ministry of External Affairs in 1948.[1] Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru held the portfolio as an additional charge till his death in 1964 and it was only then that a separate Minister with Cabinet rank was appointed. The ministry is responsible for the administration of Naga Hills, Tuensang Area, the Emigration Act of 1983, the Reciprocity Act of 1943, the Port Haj Committee Act of 1932, the Indian Merchant Shipping Act in so far as it relates to pilgrim ships, the Indian Pilgrim Shipping Rules of 1933, the Protection of Pilgrims Act of 1887 (Bombay) and the Protection of the Mohammedan Pilgrims Act of 1896 (Bengal).

The Ministry was integrated with Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs on 7 January 2016.[2] The government said that the decision was taken in line with government's "overall objective of minimizing government and maximizing governance" and that it will help the government address duplication as well as unnecessary delays.[3]

The Ministry is the cadre-controlling authority of the Indian Foreign Service; the service is wholly under the administration and supervision of the External Affairs Ministry.

Organizational structure

The Ministry of External Affairs is headed by the Minister of External Affairs (or simply, the Foreign Minister; in Template:Langx).The Foreign Secretary is the most senior civil servant who is the head of the Department of Foreign Affairs,[4] and is supported by other secretary level officers.

Development Partnership Administration

Development Partnership Administration (DPA) is an agency under the Ministry of External Affairs formed in 2013 to increase its strategic footprint and for the effective execution of projects with professionals from diverse backgrounds. India has an elaborate project portfolio in its neighbourhood, including Bhutan, Nepal, Afghanistan, Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, as well as Africa and Latin America. It is headed by Sujata Mehta, one of India's foremost diplomats and former Indian representative to the UN Conference on Disarmament, Geneva. Mehta is Special Secretary in the MEA.[7][8] According to OECD estimates, 2019 official development assistance from India increased to US$1.6 billion.[9]

India Perspectives

India Perspectives[10] is the flagship publication of the Ministry of External Affairs. A bi-monthly magazine, it is digitally published in English and Hindi, and 14 other international languages, with a readership spanning 170 countries. It is crafted to support the Ministry's diplomatic initiatives and highlight India's bilateral ties with the rest of the world.

The magazine provides an insight into India's culture and tradition along with elements of contemporary India. With intelligent, analytical and verified editorial content, the publication is one of the most authentic sources of information regarding India's ‘soft diplomacy’ initiatives as well as its rich cultural, scientific and political heritage. By showcasing the country's various facets through original stories on travel, art, music, cinema and more, the magazine takes India to the world.

Location

The office of the Ministry is located in the South Block building which also contains the Prime Minister's office and Ministry of Defence. Other offices are located in Jawaharlal Nehru Bhawan, Shastri Bhawan, Patiala House, and ISIL Building.[11]

Parliamentary Standing Committee

Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs is mandated with the task of the legislative oversight of the Ministry of External Affairs.[12]

Under Strength

In March 2023, the committee in its Demand for Grants (2023–24) report, criticized the ministry for being "most short-staffed" and under-budgeted. The committee highlighted that The total strength of 4,888 is distributed across different cadres of the Ministry such as the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), IFS General Cadre, IFS Group B, Stenographers Cadre, Interpreters Cadre, Legal and Treaties Cadre, among others. The cadre strength of Indian Foreign Service Officers is only 1,011, just 22.5 percent of the total strength. Out of IFS 'A' cadre, 667 are posted at the Missions abroad and 334 are manning the headquarters in Delhi, which currently has 57 divisions.[13] The committee also highlighted that the ministry “remains one amongst the least funded central ministries” as its actual annual spending has been around 0.4% of the total budgetary allocation of the government since 2020–21.[14]

List of operations by the Ministry of External Affairs (India)

This is a list of major operations carried out by the Ministry of External Affairs (India).

Year Operation Region Description References
1990 1990 airlift of Indians from Kuwait File:Flag of Kuwait.svg Kuwait Evacuation of over 170,000 Indians during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait & Gulf War, one of the largest civilian evacuations in history. [15]
2015 Operation Raahat File:Flag of Yemen.svg Yemen Evacuation of ~4,640 Indians and 960 foreign nationals during the Yemen civil war. [16][17]
2015 Operation Maitri File:Flag of Nepal.svg   Nepal Earthquake relief operation evacuating ~43,000 Indians, over 150 foreign tourist were evacuated and were provided transit visa to as many as 785 foreigners [18][19]
2018 Operation Samudra Maitri File:Flag of Indonesia.svg Indonesia Disaster relief operation post-Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami. [20]
2021 Operation Devi Shakti File:Flag of the Taliban.svg Afghanistan Evacuation of 800 Indian nationals and minorities after Taliban takeover. [21][22]
2022 Operation Ganga File:Flag of Ukraine.svg Ukraine Evacuation of ~25,000 Indian nationals & 147 citizens of 18 other countries were evacuated during Russia–Ukraine war. [23][24]
2023 Operation Kaveri File:Flag of Sudan.svg Sudan Evacuation of ~3,897 Indians during Sudan crisis. [25][26]
2023 Operation Ajay File:Flag of Israel.svg Israel Evacuation of 1,400 Indian nationals during Israel–Hamas war. [27][28]
2025 Operation Brahma File:Flag of Myanmar.svg Myanmar Relief mission after Myanmar earthquake; 625 MT aid, NDRF, IAF deployed. [29][30]
2025 Operation Sindhu File:Flag of Iran.svg Iran Evacuation of 110 Indian students amid Iran–Israel War. [31][32]

See also

Notes

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References

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  10. ↑ India Perspectives homepage
  11. ↑ About MEA : South Block. MEA (2014-03-19). Retrieved on 2014-05-21.
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  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  20. ↑ Operation Samudra Maitri: India's Assistance to Earthquake and Tsunami affected areas in Indonesia Ministry of External Affairs, India 3 October 2018
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External links

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