Cabinet nod for MEA expansion

As India increases its global engagements, the Government on Thursday took a step to expand its team of diplomats...

As India increases its global engagements, the Government on Thursday took a step to expand its team of diplomats in a bid to ensure better representation of the country the world over. The decision came on the day when Indian diplomats were negotiating with the 45 countries of Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) seeking exemptions for the country to engage in nuclear technology trade in Vienna.

The Union Cabinet, at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, approved an expansion plan of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) over a period of 10 years through creation of 514 new posts, Information and Broadcasting Minister P R Dasmunsi told reporters here.

Pointing out that the country’s diplomatic establishment of little over 900 officers was “smaller” than those of the countries like China (with 4,200 diplomatic officers) and Brazil (with about 1,200 diplomatic officers), he said the expansion plans entailed creation of 139 new officer-grade posts and 110 staff-level posts at the ministry headquarters.

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The country can look forward to better representation in the global fora with additional 175 officers at various missions across the globe.

Ninety staff-level posts had also been created for India’s missions abroad, Dasmunsi said. “This will strengthen India’s diplomatic representation in view of India’s increasing global engagement,” the minister said after the Cabinet meeting.

Justifying its demand, the MEA had pointed out the country’s heightened external engagement in the form of 165% increase in high-level visits and 166% increase in India’s trade in the past five years in addition to 300% jump in the FDI inflow and 76% jump in foreign tourists visiting the country in the last five years.

The MEA also referred to the country’s deepening linkages with its bilateral and multilateral partners and its claim for permanent membership of the UN Security Council along with the need to tackle “new issues” like international terrorism, human rights, migration, environment and quest for sustainable energy source as other reasons making this expansion necessary.