Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)

India’s foreign affairs ministry is older than the country’s independence. It was set up in September 1946, a year before India became free. This article covers who runs it, how it is built, and the latest news.

1Chapter 1: What MEA Does

Must Know

The job

• The Ministry of External Affairs handles India’s foreign policy and diplomatic relations.
• It traces back to September 1946, set up under the interim government, before independence in 1947.
• It oversees India’s embassies, high commissions and consulates abroad.
• It manages India’s representation at the United Nations and other international bodies.
• See India and the United Nations.
• It also advises other central ministries and state governments on foreign-affairs matters.

Who leads it

• The Minister of External Affairs is a Cabinet-rank minister. As of 2026, this is Dr. S. Jaishankar.
• One or more Ministers of State assist.
• The Foreign Secretary is the senior-most non-elected official and the administrative head. As of 2026, this is Vikram Misri.
• This mirrors how most Indian ministries pair a minister with a top civil servant.
• It splits policy direction from day-to-day execution.

2Chapter 2: Structure and Cadre

Good to Know

A career diplomat at the top

• The Foreign Secretary is always a career diplomat of the Indian Foreign Service.
• The IFS was established on 9 October 1946.
• It is a Group A central civil service, recruited through the UPSC Civil Services Examination.
• The Foreign Secretary sits atop the whole IFS cadre.
• It is widely seen as the most senior posting a career Indian diplomat can reach.

Territorial and functional divisions

• Territorial divisions cover regions like the Americas, East Asia, the Gulf and Africa.
• Functional divisions cover policy planning, disarmament, counter-terrorism and consular services.
• The split reflects two needs: managing specific bilateral ties, and running consistent policy across all of them.

A small, stretched cadre

• The IFS is one of India’s smallest civil services.
• Its sanctioned strength was 954 officers as of December 2025.
• Those officers staff 218 resident Indian missions worldwide.
• Intake averages only 30 to 35 new officers a year.
• That is one of the tightest officer-to-mission ratios among India’s civil services.

The machinery behind the visits

• MEA handles the protocol, logistics and bilateral groundwork behind each Prime Minister’s foreign trip.
• See PM Modi’s Foreign Visits and Narendra Modi.

3Chapter 3: Current Affairs

Current Affairs

A one-year extension for the Foreign Secretary

• On 1 July 2026, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved a one-year extension for Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri. (Source: Akashvani/All India Radio.)
• His original retirement date was 14 July 2026.
• The extension takes him to 14 July 2027.
• It was approved under Fundamental Rule 56(d), which lets the government extend a senior officer’s service in the public interest.
• Misri is a 1989-batch IFS officer and has been Foreign Secretary since July 2024.
• The move comes amid tensions in West Asia and Ukraine, and shifting Indo-Pacific dynamics.
• Extending a Foreign Secretary past retirement is uncommon.
• It signals a preference for continuity in a volatile period.
• Read more: Government Extends Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s Tenure Till 14 July 2027.

Quick Q&A

• MEA set up? September 1946.
• IFS established? 9 October 1946.
• IFS strength? 954 (Dec 2025).
• Missions staffed? 218.
• Misri extended to? 14 July 2027.