19-673: The Minister of External Affairs (or simply, the External Affairs Minister Hindi: Videsh Mantri ) is the head of the Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of India . One of the senior-most offices in the union cabinet , the chief responsibility of the Minister of External Affairs is to represent India and its government in the international community. The Minister also plays an important role in determining
38-527: 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,
57-516: 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
76-507: 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. According to OECD estimates, 2019 official development assistance from India increased to US$ 1.6 billion. India Perspectives is the flagship publication of the Ministry of External Affairs. A bi-monthly magazine, it
95-803: Is steered by the Minister of External Affairs , a minister in the PM's Cabinet. The Foreign Secretary , an Indian Foreign Service officer, is the most senior civil servant and the Head of the Department of Foreign Affairs. The Ministry represents the Government of India through 186 embassies around the world. It is also responsible for India's representation at the United Nations and other international organizations, whilst expanding and safeguarding India's influence. The Ministry of External Affairs also advises other Ministries of
114-516: Is supported by other secretary level officers. 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
133-653: Is the cadre-controlling authority of the Indian Foreign Service ; the service is wholly under the administration and supervision of the External Affairs Ministry. The Ministry of External Affairs is headed by the Minister of External Affairs (or simply, the Foreign Minister; in Hindi : Videsh Mantri ).The Foreign Secretary is the most senior civil servant who is the head of the Department of Foreign Affairs, and
152-467: The Bharatiya Janata Party on 30 May 2019. Ministry of External Affairs (India) The Ministry of External Affairs (abbreviated as MEA ; ISO : Vidēśa Mantrālaya ) of India is tasked with formulating and implementing Indian foreign policy , in tandem with the repatriation of Indian citizens in danger abroad and the extradition of fugitives. The Ministry of External Affairs
171-637: The Government of India . It was dedicated to all matters relating to the Indian diaspora around the world. Ministry was established in May 2004 as the Ministry of Non-Resident Indians' Affairs. It was renamed as the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) in September 2004. Positioned as a ‘Services’ Ministry, it provided information, partnerships and facilitations for all matters related to Overseas Indians: Non-Resident Indian and Person of Indian Origin . The Ministry
190-644: The Prime Minister's office and Ministry of Defence . Other offices are located in Jawaharlal Nehru Bhawan, Shastri Bhawan, Patiala House, and ISIL Building. Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs is mandated with the task of the legislative oversight of the Ministry of External Affairs. 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
209-421: The foreign policy . Occasionally, the Minister of External Affairs is assisted by a Minister of State for External Affairs or the lower-ranked Deputy Minister of External Affairs. India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru , also held the post of External Affairs Minister throughout his 17-year premiership and remains the longest-serving External Affairs Minister. Several other Prime Ministers have since held
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#1732875870832228-508: The Government of India and State Governments on pertinent international developments. The Committee on External Affairs is tasked with this ministry's legislative oversight. 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. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru held
247-576: 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. 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. The Ministry
266-734: The additional charge of the minister of external affairs, but never has any other cabinet minister held additional charge of the office - although during Nehru's premiership V. K. Krishna Menon was acknowledged as de facto Minister of External Affairs beyond his official designation as Defence Minister . There have been a number of external affairs ministers who went on to become the Prime Minister like Atal Bihari Vajpayee , P. V. Narasimha Rao and I. K. Gujral . Two former career-diplomats have served as ministers of external affairs, including K. Natwar Singh (2004–2005) who served as India's Ambassador to Poland and as High Commissioner to Pakistan, and
285-665: The current minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar who retired as the Foreign Secretary . Two other ministers, M. C. Chagla and I. K. Gujral also served as ambassadors, with Chagla serving as India's Ambassador to the United States and High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, while Gujral served as Ambassador to the Soviet Union. The current Minister of External Affairs is Subrahmanyam Jaishankar , who succeeded Sushma Swaraj of
304-451: The headquarters in Delhi, which currently has 57 divisions. 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. Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs ( MOIA ) was a ministry of
323-760: 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,
342-468: 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. The office of the Ministry is located in the South Block building which also contains
361-491: Was merged with the Ministry of External Affairs on 7 January 2016. 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. The Ministry had four functional service divisions to handle its services: The first two divisions were headed by Joint Secretaries. The Protector General of Emigrants (PGoE) headed
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