The Ministry of External Affairs (abbreviated as MEA; Hindi: विदेश मंत्रालय, romanized: Videśa Mantrālaya) 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, a Cabinet Minister. The 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.[4] It also advises other Ministries and State Governments on foreign governments and institutions.
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.[5] 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, 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 was integrated Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs on 7 January 2016.[6] 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.[7]
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 Hindi Videsh Mantri).The Foreign Secretary is the most senior civil servant who is the head of the Department of Foreign Affairs,[8] and 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 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.[13][14] According to OECD estimates, 2019 official development assistance from India increased to US$1.6 billion.[15]
India Perspectives
India Perspectives[16] 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.[17]
Parliamentary Standing Committee
Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs is mandated with the task of the legislative oversight of the Ministry of External Affairs.[18]
^Thakur, Pradeep (2 March 2017). "Central govt to hire 2.8 lakh more staff, police, I-T & customs to get lion's share". The Times of India. New Delhi. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
^"Union budget allocates over Rs 18,000 cr for external affairs ministry, Rs 7,149 cr for foreign aid". ANI News. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
^"Six Charts to Make Sense of India's Budget for Foreign Policy".
^"REPORT OF THE Ministry of External Affairs 1949-50" (PDF). Government of India. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
^Sushma Swaraj [@SushmaSwaraj] (7 January 2016). "Hon'ble Prime Minister has kindly accepted my proposal. So MOIA will now be part of Ministry of External Affairs" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
^"Government to merge overseas Indian affairs ministry with MEA - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
^(PDF). Ministry of External Affairs. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 February 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
^ abcde"Secretaries, Ministry of External Affairs". Retrieved 31 July 2020.
^"Dammu Ravi (IFS) appointed as Secretary (Economic Relations) in the MEA". psuwatch.com. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
^Roche, Elizabeth (29 September 2020). "New MEA division to focus on Indo-Pacific". mint. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
^"Arindam Bagchi succeeds Anurag Srivastava as MEA spokesperson". Hindustan Times. 20 March 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
^"Devyani likely to head MEA's overseas projects department". The Indian Express. 20 January 2014.
^"Organogram of Ministry of External Affairs" (PDF). Government of India. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
^"India | Development Co-operation Profiles – India | OECD iLibrary".
^About MEA : South Block. MEA (2014-03-19). Retrieved on 2014-05-21.
^"Committee on External Affairs : Loksabha". loksabhaph.nic.in. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
External links
Official website of the Ministry of External Affairs
Official Twitter handle of the Ministry
January 13, 2023
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The Ministry of External Affairs abbreviated as MEA Hindi व द श म त र लय romanized Videsa Mantralaya 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 a Cabinet Minister The 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 4 It also advises other Ministries and State Governments on foreign governments and institutions Ministry of External AffairsSouth Block Secretariat Building New DelhiMinistry overviewFormed2 September 1946Preceding MinistryMinistry of Overseas Indian AffairsJurisdictionGovernment of IndiaHeadquartersSouth Block Secretariat Building Raisina Hill New Delhi Delhi IndiaEmployees11 403 1 2018 est Annual budget 18 000 crore US 2 3 billion 2021 22 est 2 Minister responsibleSubrahmanyam Jaishankar Minister of External AffairsDeputy Ministers responsibleV Muraleedharan Minister of StateRajkumar Ranjan Singh Minister of StateMeenakshi Lekhi Minister of StateMinistry executivesVinay Mohan Kwatra Foreign SecretaryReenat Sandhu Secretary West Saurabh Kumar Secretary East Sanjay Bhattacharyya Secretary CPV amp OIA Dammu Ravi 3 Secretary Economic Relations Arindam Bagchi Official Spokesperson and Joint Secretary XP Websitewww wbr mea wbr gov wbr inCommittee on External Affairs is tasked with this ministry s legislative oversight Contents 1 History 2 Organizational structure 3 Development Partnership Administration 4 India Perspectives 5 Location 6 Parliamentary Standing Committee 7 See also 8 References 9 External linksHistory EditThe 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 5 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 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 was integrated Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs on 7 January 2016 6 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 7 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 EditThe 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 8 and is supported by other secretary level officers Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra 9 Secretary West Sanjay Verma 9 Secretary East Saurabh Kumar 9 Secretary Economic Relations Dammu Ravi 9 10 Secretary Consular Passport Visa and Overseas Indian Affairs Ausaf Sayeed 9 Additional Secretary Oceania division post created in 2020 11 Official Spokesperson and Joint Secretary External Publicity Arindam Bagchi 12 Development Partnership Administration EditDevelopment 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 13 14 According to OECD estimates 2019 official development assistance from India increased to US 1 6 billion 15 India Perspectives EditIndia Perspectives 16 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 EditThe 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 17 Parliamentary Standing Committee EditParliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs is mandated with the task of the legislative oversight of the Ministry of External Affairs 18 See also EditRaisina Dialogue Indian Council of World Affairs Chanakyapuri List of diplomatic missions in India List of diplomatic missions of IndiaReferences Edit Thakur Pradeep 2 March 2017 Central govt to hire 2 8 lakh more staff police I T amp customs to get lion s share The Times of India New Delhi Retrieved 14 January 2018 Union budget allocates over Rs 18 000 cr for external affairs ministry Rs 7 149 cr for foreign aid ANI News Retrieved 2 February 2021 MEA About MEA Profiles Secretary ER Six Charts to Make Sense of India s Budget for Foreign Policy REPORT OF THE Ministry of External Affairs 1949 50 PDF Government of India Retrieved 10 October 2012 Sushma Swaraj SushmaSwaraj 7 January 2016 Hon ble Prime Minister has kindly accepted my proposal So MOIA will now be part of Ministry of External Affairs Tweet via Twitter Government to merge overseas Indian affairs ministry with MEA Times of India The Times of India Retrieved 25 January 2018 Who is Who Organisation Structure and officers of the Ministry of External Affairs of Republic of India PDF Ministry of External Affairs Archived from the original PDF on 14 February 2012 Retrieved 15 February 2012 a b c d e Secretaries Ministry of External Affairs Retrieved 31 July 2020 Dammu Ravi IFS appointed as Secretary Economic Relations in the MEA psuwatch com Retrieved 12 November 2021 Roche Elizabeth 29 September 2020 New MEA division to focus on Indo Pacific mint Retrieved 24 September 2021 Arindam Bagchi succeeds Anurag Srivastava as MEA spokesperson Hindustan Times 20 March 2021 Retrieved 24 May 2021 Devyani likely to head MEA s overseas projects department The Indian Express 20 January 2014 Organogram of Ministry of External Affairs PDF Government of India Retrieved 19 January 2014 India Development Co operation Profiles India OECD iLibrary India Perspectives homepage About MEA South Block MEA 2014 03 19 Retrieved on 2014 05 21 Committee on External Affairs Loksabha loksabhaph nic in Retrieved 20 January 2022 External links EditOfficial website of the Ministry of External Affairs Official Twitter handle of the Ministry Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ministry of External Affairs India amp oldid 1127356350, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
