Ministry of External Affairs (India)

It has been suggested that Minister of State for External Affairs (India) be merged into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since February 2025.

Ministry of External Affairs

Branch of Government of India
Ministry of External Affairs
South Block, Secretariat Building, New Delhi
Ministry overview
Formed	2 September 1946
Jurisdiction	Government of the Republic of India
Headquarters	South Block, Secretariat Building, Raisina Hill, New Delhi, Delhi, India
Employees	5400 (approx) estimated (Jan 2025) IFS (A): 1,011[1] IFS (B): 4,297
Annual budget	₹20,516.61 crore (US$2.4 billion) (FY 2025–26 est.)[2]
Minister responsible	Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs
Deputy Ministers responsible	Kirti Vardhan Singh, MoS Pabitra Margherita, MoS
Ministry executives	Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary Tanmaya Lal, Secretary (West) Jaideep Mazumdar, Secretary (East) Arun Kumar Chatterjee, Secretary (CPV & OIA) Dammu Ravi[3], Secretary (Economic Relations) Raj Kumar Srivastava, Secretary and Dean Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service Randhir Jaiswal, AS-XP and Spokesperson
Website	mea.gov.in

The Ministry of External Affairs (abbreviated as MEA; ISO: Vidēśa Mantrālaya^[a]) 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 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.

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