Ministry of External Affairs (India): Difference between revisions

| agency_name     = Ministry of External Affairs

| nativename_a    =

| logo            = Ministry of External Affairs India.svg

| logo_width      = 250px

| logo_caption    =  

| picture         = New Delhi government block 03-2016 img6.jpg

| picture_width   =  

| picture_caption = [[South Block]], [[Secretariat Building, New Delhi]]

| formed         = 2 September 1946

| preceding1     =  

| jurisdiction   = {{flagicon|India}} [[Republic of India]]

| headquarters   = [[South Block]], [[Secretariat Building, New Delhi|Secretariat Building]], [[Raisina Hill]], [[New Delhi]], [[Delhi]], [[India]]

| minister1_name = [[Subrahmanyam Jaishankar]]

| minister1_pfo   = [[Minister of External Affairs (India)|Minister of External Affairs]]

| minister2_name =  

| minister2_pfo   =  

| minister3_name =  

| minister3_pfo   =  

| deputyminister1_name = [[V. Muraleedharan]]

| deputyminister1_pfo = Minister of State

| deputyminister2_name = [[Rajkumar Ranjan Singh]]

| deputyminister2_pfo = Minister of State

| deputyminister3_name = [[Meenakshi Lekhi]]

| deputyminister3_pfo = Minister of State

| chief1_name    = [[Vinay Mohan Kwatra]]

| chief2_name     = [[Reenat Sandhu]]

| chief3_name     = [[Saurabh Kumar (ambassador)|Saurabh Kumar]]

| chief4_name     = Sanjay Bhattacharyya

| chief4_position = Secretary (CPV & OIA)

| chief5_name     = Dammu Ravi,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mea.gov.in/ser.htm|title=MEA &#124; About MEA : Profiles : Secretary (ER)}}</ref>

| chief6_name     = Arindam Bagchi

| chief7_name     =  

| chief8_name     =  

| chief9_name     =  

| website        = {{URL|http://www.mea.gov.in/}}

The '''Ministry of External Affairs''' (abbreviated as '''MEA'''; {{lang-hi|विदेश मंत्रालय|Videśa Mantrālaya|translit-std=ISO}}) of [[India]] is the government agency responsible for implementing [[Indian foreign policy]]. The Ministry of External Affairs is headed by the [[Minister of External Affairs (India)|Minister of External Affairs]], a Cabinet Minister. The [[Foreign Secretary (India)|Foreign Secretary]], an [[Indian Foreign Service]] officer, is the most senior civil servant who is the head of the Department of Foreign Affairs. The Ministry represents the [[Government of India]] through embassies and is also responsible for India's representation at the [[United Nations]] and other international organizations and expanding and safeguarding India’s influence and Indian interests across the world by providing developmental aid to other countries worth billions of dollars.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://m.thewire.in/article/diplomacy/budget-mea-foreign-policy-charts/amp | title=Six Charts to Make Sense of India's Budget for Foreign Policy }}</ref> It also advises other Ministries and State Governments on foreign governments and institutions.

 

[[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.<ref name=AR49>{{cite web|title=REPORT OF THE Ministry of External Affairs 1949-50|url=http://mealib.nic.in/reports/1949-50.pdf|publisher=Government of India|access-date=10 October 2012}}</ref> 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|Naga Hills]], [[Tuensang|Tuensang Area]], Indian Emigration Act of 1923, 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 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 (India)|Foreign Secretary]] is the most senior civil servant who is the head of the Department of Foreign Affairs,<ref name="External Affairs Ministry, Who">{{cite web |url=http://meaindia.nic.in/staticfile/organisation.pdf |title=Who is Who: Organisation Structure and officers of the Ministry of External Affairs of Republic of India |access-date=15 February 2012 |publisher=Ministry of External Affairs |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214101600/http://meaindia.nic.in/staticfile/organisation.pdf |archive-date=14 February 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and is supported by other [[Secretary to Government of India|secretary]] level officers.

*[[Foreign Secretary (India)|Foreign Secretary]] &mdash; [[Vinay Kwatra]]<ref name = "MEA">{{cite web|access-date = 31 July 2020|url = https://www.mea.gov.in/secretaries.htm|title = Secretaries, Ministry of External Affairs}}</ref>

*[[Secretary to Government of India|Secretary]] (West) &mdash; [[Sanjay Verma]]<ref name = "MEA"/>

*[[Secretary to Government of India|Secretary]] (East) &mdash; [[Saurabh Kumar (ambassador)|Saurabh Kumar]]<ref name = "MEA"/>

*[[Secretary to Government of India|Secretary]] (Economic Relations)  &mdash; Dammu Ravi<ref name = "MEA"/><ref>{{cite news |title=Dammu Ravi (IFS) appointed as Secretary (Economic Relations) in the MEA |url=https://psuwatch.com/dammu-ravi-ifs-appointed-secretary-economic-relations-mea |access-date=12 November 2021 |work=psuwatch.com}}</ref>

*[[Secretary to Government of India|Secretary]] (Consular, Passport, Visa and Overseas Indian Affairs) &mdash; Ausaf Sayeed<ref name = "MEA"/>

*Additional Secretary (Oceania division) — ; post created in 2020<ref>{{Cite web|last=Roche|first=Elizabeth|date=2020-09-29|title=New MEA division to focus on Indo-Pacific|url=https://www.livemint.com/news/india/new-mea-division-to-focus-on-indo-pacific-11601342184071.html|access-date=2021-09-24|website=mint|language=en}}</ref>

*[[Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs|Official Spokesperson and Joint Secretary (External Publicity)]] &mdash; [[Arindam Bagchi]]<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-03-20|title=Arindam Bagchi succeeds Anurag Srivastava as MEA spokesperson|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/arindam-bagchi-succeeds-anurag-srivastava-as-mea-spokesperson-101616259919859.html|access-date=2021-05-24|website=Hindustan Times|language=en}}</ref>

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.<ref name="DPA">{{cite news|title = Devyani likely to head MEA's overseas projects department|date = 20 January 2014|newspaper = The Indian Express|url = http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/devyani-likely-to-head-meas-overseas-projects-department/}}</ref><ref name="organogram">{{cite web|title=Organogram of Ministry of External Affairs|url=http://www.mea.gov.in/Images/pdf/Final_MEA_Organogram_17_Jan_2014_2.pdf|publisher=Government of India|access-date=19 Jan 2014}}</ref> According to [[OECD]] estimates, 2019 [[official development assistance]] from India increased to US$1.6 billion.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/18b00a44-en/index.html?itemId=/content/component/18b00a44-en#section-d1e57967|title=India &#124; Development Co-operation Profiles – India &#124; OECD iLibrary}}</ref>

''India Perspectives''<ref>[http://www.indiaperspectives.gov.in/ ''India Perspectives'' homepage]</ref> 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.

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