Reforms Needed in the Ministry of External Affairs

The year 2024 marks a landmark moment in Indian politics as the ruling Bharatiya Janta Party secured another majority in the General Elections. With the BJP sitting for another term in the Central Government, it is necessary for observers of politics and foreign policy to analyse the direction that is being charted out by the Central Government to navigate the country’s interactions with the world outside.

The Ministry of External Affairs, abbreviated MEA, is tasked with formulating and implementing India’s foreign policy and the country’s interactions with the world outside. The MEA handles diplomacy, international cooperation and representation of India at international forums. The MEA also manages India’s embassies and consulates abroad, as well as visa and passport issues. Given this important task of formulating India’s foreign policy, it is essential for the Ministry of External Affairs to carry out much needed reforms to face the contemporary realities of the world.

A few reforms that are the need of the hour for the MEA today are elucidated succinctly in the subsequent points:

Increase the budget of the MEA to fund initiatives in the Global South: A considerable portion of the budget has been allocated to fund projects and initiatives in foreign countries. However, to cater to India’s growing ambitions of leading the Global South, it is essential for a large portion of the MEA’s budget to be directed towards developing the underdeveloped countries of the Global South. The budget will be used largely towards humanitarian relief measures and infrastructure development in these countries. Of the budget that has been allotted, given below is a detailed breakdown:

Bhutan: Rs 2, 068.56 crores
Afghanistan: Rs 200 crore
Bangladesh: Rs 120 crore
Nepal: Rs 700 crore
Sri Lanka: Rs 245 crore
Maldives: Rs 400 crore
Myanmar: Rs 250 crore
Mongolia: Rs 5 crore
African countries: Rs 200 crore
Eurasian countries: Rs 20 crore
Latin American countries: Rs 30 crore
Other developing countries: Rs 120 crore
Disaster relief: Rs 5 crore
Chabahar port, Iran: Rs 100 crore
Mauritius: Rs 370 crore
Seychelles: Rs 40 crore

As can be seen from the breakdown above, it is necessary to increase the allocation of funds to Latin American as well as African countries. This becomes effective as India strives hard to be the voice of the Global South in terms of addressing their concerns on a global scale to mitigate issues such as debt-crisis and debt management, opaque terms and conditions while seeking loans and on infrastructure development while coping with issues of climate change. These challenges aren’t restricted to Latin American or African countries but to countries in India’s neighbourhood as well. India has had a long and rich history of being a friend to countries when in crisis, such as assisting Sri Lanka during its rough patch of economic crisis. India’s terms and conditions of assisting other nations by offering of loans are free and fair, unlike those offered by China, thus making India a more reliable partner for countries of the Global South.

Encourage lateral entry from the private sector as well as from think tanks: In this aspect, it is worth commending the MEA’s efforts in encouraging outside talent for jobs in the Ministry. Around 12 such officials were hired as subject experts attached with the policy planning and research division of the External Affairs Ministry. However, they don’t have decision making or administrative powers. In this case, it is crucial for the MEA to continue venturing on this initiative of encouraging lateral entry from the private sector as well as from think tanks across India. As the world today continues to get more convoluted with a diverse array of crisis and global scenarios finding their way to diplomatic negotiations, this would be a crucial step to overcome a severely understaffed Foreign Ministry. In 2016, briefing the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, then foreign secretary S. Jaishankar, now the External Affairs Minister, said India has 2,700 diplomats. Breaking it down, he told the committee that it included 912 IFS (A) grade officers, 252 Grade 1 IFS (B) officers, 33 of the Interpreters Cadre, 24 of the Legal and Treaties Cadre, 635 attaches, 540 diplomatic officers from sectorial staff, and 310 diplomatic officers for other ministries.

Compare this to other world powers — South Korea has over 1,250 diplomats, New Zealand has over 1,300, Brazil has over 2,000, China has over 4,500, and Japan has over 5,700. Even a small island nation like Singapore has 800-850 diplomats — nearly as many as India’s IFS ‘A’ cadre.
The numbers are glaring because of the size of New Delhi’s diplomatic footprint around the world. According to Australian think tank Lowy Institute’s Global Diplomacy Index, India’s diplomatic network ranks 12th in the world — behind smaller countries such as Turkey, Spain, and Italy.
A more micro-level comparison between China and Brazil sheds light on India’s relatively smaller global footprint — China has 276 total diplomatic posts around the world, Brazil has 222 and India has 186. In terms of embassies and high commissions, China has 169, Brazil has 138, and India has 123, while in terms of consulates and consulate-generals, China has 96, Brazil 70, and India 54.
This implies that a country like Brazil, whose economy is less than India's, has a larger global presence. While the scale of China’s global presence is in line with the size of its economy, looking at some criteria further highlights Beijing’s mammoth foreign service capacity.

Given the prevailing scenario, a structural shift would be to revamp the existing civil services examinations through which IFS officers are inducted into the Foreign Ministry’s arsenal. The nature of the field of foreign policy demands another alternative to the existing civil service examinations where aspiring foreign service candidates are tested subsequently on their knowledge of international relations, diplomacy and communication skills and are trained rigorously for the posts in the Ministry and in Embassies and High Commissions abroad.
However, given that the change is structural in nature, a few amends can be made in the meanwhile by bringing in subject matter experts from think tanks, private sector and universities as well on a contractual basis to aid and advice on policy issues. In this way, not only can the government reduce the stress on overburdened IFS officers but also increase participation among subject matter experts in the field from around the country. This would help in bringing fresh perspectives on issues of critical importance. Overtime, based on the performance of these individuals and upon the Ministry’s discretion and requirement, a decision can be taken to induct these SMEs into the structure of the Ministry or not.

Increase diplomatic footprint in Africa: As India’s G-20 Presidency reached its conclusion with the historic New Delhi declaration being adopted, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi embraced President of the Union of the Comoros and Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Azali Assoumani as the African Union became a permanent member of the G-20. The warm welcome was accorded with the intention to make the grouping more inclusive and enhance the effectiveness of the G-20. After the EU, the African Union becomes the second regional bloc to join the G-20. With this move, India seeks to bring to light the under-developed regions of Africa to the world’s attention. India’s recognition of the shifting of global centre of gravity has further positioned this stance. African countries have been impressed that India no longer allows the West to dictate its morality.

New Delhi has sent an important message around strategic independence by controlling the narrative around the Ukraine war and pushing back against “Western pressure”. While this is a welcome and much needed move, India needs to further its diplomatic presence in the continent through active and functional embassies, high commissions, consulates and infrastructure projects. India’s recognition of the shifting of global centre of gravity has further positioned this stance.
With Africa’s strategic importance rising, India has become a trusted interlocutor. Its pragmatic approach is allowing it to reap the rewards. India and Africa command a relatively small share of global trade. Despite an uptick in recent years, the penetration of Indian products in African markets stands only at 6.3% of Africa’s total imports as compared to China’s 18.3%. A step in this regard can be the creation of a free trade agreement.
India offers a different development model to Africa, as against China which is based on inclusion and transparency. China’s investment in natural resources and infrastructure, and its military presence give it a major influence in Africa. However, India’s dynamic private sector, focus on technology and pharmaceuticals, soft power approach and clear-eyed diplomatic strategy give it an upper hand as a counterweight to China.
Given the richness of Africa in terms of minerals and natural resources, the continent can soon become a hub for competition between many countries who aspire to assert dominance. In this case, it is increasingly necessary for India to ramp up its diplomatic presence in the continent. Currently, India has 43 missions in Africa comprising embassies, high commissions and consulates. It is necessary for this number to substantially increase as this will help in expanding India’s influence in the region, the betterment of the African nations and to counter China’s influence.

Engage more proactively with Indian universities: Another recommendation to the MEA would be to significantly ramp up their engagement with universities across India. As stated earlier, the world in which we live today is a lot more complex than what it used to be earlier. The intertwining of many disciplines only calls for a more productive and an active participation of the youth.

The youth of today understands the contemporary times which can be channelised towards further bolstering the nation’s outlook toward these contemporary realities. Apart from the bi-annual internship programmes offered by the Ministry of External Affairs, several other programmes such as diplomatic simulations, negotiations towards mitigating real life crisis and drafting policy recommendations to overcome these crisis should be among the several programs that can be initiated under the aegis of the MEA. Through this, the Ministry can foster a better understanding of global affairs among students and instil passion among the youth for issues of global importance.
This will also be an effective tool for the Ministry to engage with the youth and talk about the work that is being done on ground, what the contemporary global scenario is, where does India stand in the contemporary times, among many other topics.
With the future of the nation in these universities, it is crucial for the Ministry to bank on young and talented individuals to foster a better understanding of the world around us and to respond to these issues in a much better sense.

Rework India’s Soft Power Strategy: In international relations, power has traditionally been defined and assessed in hard terms, often associated with the use of economic and military might. Hard power is deployed in the form of coercion, using the threat of force and economic sanctions. In contrast to the coercive nature of hard power, soft power emphasises on the use of persuasion and positive attraction to achieve foreign policy objectives. Soft power seeks at achieving objectives by building networks and communicating compelling narratives, to name a few. Narratives, one of the branches of soft power, nudges one to understand the truth in a particular way. Creating narratives and favourable perceptions does not happen by accident. There must be an agenda to do so and must be worked at over time. It becomes increasingly essential for India to rework on its soft power strategy to achieve its aims in a much more efficient manner.

As former Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla had rightly stated during the India Today Conclave that the foreign policy of a country represents both continuity and change. Continuity are those elements that represent your core values and core interests. On the other hand, success of a foreign policy also lies in it being nimble and agile to cope with the contemporary challenges and predicaments of the world. As India’s stature in the world today continues to rise, it becomes all the more essential for the Ministry of External Affairs to carry out reforms in order to make India’s foreign policy and global outlook more robust and agile. The reforms mentioned above are but a part of a much larger array of reforms that need to be carried out to shape our global outlook better.

References:

GAD

Global Affairs Desk

Sat Dec 21 2024

Reforms Needed in the Ministry of External Affairs

~ By Aarush Joshi on 7/28/2024