The Indian Foreign Service (IFS) is a diplomatic service and a central civil service of the Government of the Republic of India under the Ministry of External Affairs. The Foreign Secretary is the head of the service. Vikram Misri is the 35th and the current Foreign Secretary.
The service, consisting of civil servants is entrusted with handling the foreign relations of India and providing consular services, and to mark India's presence in international organizations. It is the body of career diplomats serving in more than 160 Indian diplomatic missions and international organizations around the world. In addition, they serve at the President's Secretariat, the Prime Minister's Office and at the headquarters of MEA in New Delhi. They also head Regional Passport Offices throughout the country and hold positions in several ministries on deputation.
Indian Foreign Service officers have been 8 times Presidents of the UN Security Council, several Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, 3 National Security Advisors, and have been elected to offices of President, Vice President, Governors of States, Speaker of Lok Sabha, and Cabinet ministers.
History
On 13 September 1783, the board of directors of the East India Company passed a resolution at Fort William, Calcutta (now Kolkata), to create a department, which could help "relieve the pressure" on the Warren Hastings administration in conducting its "secret and political business." Although established by the Company, the conducted business with foreign European powers. From the very beginning, a distinction was maintained between the foreign and political functions of the Foreign Department; relations with all "Asiatic powers" (including native princely states) were treated as political, while relations with European powers were treated as foreign.
In 1843, the Governor-General of India, Edward Law, 1st Earl of Ellenborough carried out administrative reforms, organizing the Secretariat of the Government into four departments: Foreign, Home, Finance, and Military. Each was headed by a secretary-level officer. The Foreign Department Secretary was entrusted with the "conduct of all correspondence belonging to the external and internal diplomatic relations of the government."
The Government of India Act 1935 attempted to delineate more clearly functions of the foreign and political wings of the Foreign Department, it was soon realized that it was administratively imperative to completely bifurcate the department. Consequently, the was set up separately under the direct charge of the Governor-General.
The idea of establishing a separate diplomatic service to handle the external activities of the Government of India originated from a note dated 30 September 1944, recorded by Lieutenant-General T. J. Hutton, the Secretary of the Planning and Development Department. When this note was referred to the Department of External Affairs for comments, Olaf Caroe, the Foreign Secretary, recorded his comments in an exhaustive note detailing the scope, composition and functions of the proposed service. Caroe pointed out that as India emerged as autonomous, it was imperative to build up a system of representation abroad that would be in complete harmony with the objectives of the future government.
On 9 October 1946, the Indian government established the for India's diplomatic, consular and commercial representation overseas. With independence, there was a near-complete transition of the Foreign and Political Department into what then became the new Ministry of External Affairs.
Indian Foreign Service Day is celebrated on 9 October every year since 2011 to honor the establishment of the Indian Foreign Service, the idea of which was proposed by diplomat Abhay K.
Recruitment
The officers of the Indian Foreign Service are recruited through Civil Services Examination by Union Public Service Commission for Group A and also through Staff Selection Commission for Group B.
In 1948, the first group of Indian Foreign Service officers were recruited based on the Civil Services Examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission This exam is still used to select new foreign service officers. Previous to 1948, some were appointed directly by the Prime Minister and included former native rulers of India who had integrated their provinces into India.
Fresh recruits to the Indian Foreign Service are trained at Sushma Swaraj Foreign Service Institute (SSIFS) after a brief foundation course at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA). In recent years, the number of candidates selected to the Indian Foreign Service has averaged between 25 and 30 annually.
Training
On acceptance into the Foreign Service, new entrants undergo rigorous training, considered one of the most challenging and longest among Government of India services, typically lasting over one year. During the probationary period, these entrants are referred to as Officer Trainees. Training begins at the LBSNAA in Mussoorie, where members of other elite Indian civil services undergo a three-month Foundation Course, usually commencing in August each year.
Following the Foundation Course, probationers proceed to the SSIFS in New Delhi for intensive instruction in subjects essential to diplomacy, including international relations theory, military diplomacy, trade, India's foreign policy, history, international law, diplomatic practice, hospitality, protocol, and administration. After a brief desk attachment in the Ministry of External Affairs at the rank of Assistant Secretary, officers are posted to an Indian diplomatic mission abroad where their CFL is the native language.
Officer Trainees also undertake , each lasting at least one week, with various government bodies and defense establishments—such as the Indian Army (either in Jammu and Kashmir, or Ladakh, or Sikkim, or Arunachal Pradesh), Indian Navy (either in Mumbai or Visakhapatnam), Indian Air Force stations, and CAPF units.
In the middle phase of the program, participants are nominated for a with a group of 5–7 officers in any state of India, for a duration of one week, to receive hands-on training in administrative functions. Additionally, participants are nominated for a abroad, for one week, in an Indian Mission, to gain foundational exposure to the functioning of an embassy.
Language Stations () Russian Moscow French Paris , Brussels , Geneva Spanish Madrid , Mexico City , Buenos Aires Chinese Beijing Arabic Cairo , Abu Dhabi German Berlin , Vienna Japanese Tokyo Hebrew Tel Aviv Persian Tehran Vietnamese Hanoi Sinhalese Colombo Nepali Kathmandu Dzongkha Thimphu Turkish Ankara Pashto Kabul Korean Seoul Portuguese Lisbon , Brasília Bahasa Jakarta , Kuala Lumpur
Additionally, they engage in 2–3 week tours, covering significant regions of India, including Kolkata, Darjeeling, Northeast India, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Puri, Mumbai, Rajasthan, Amritsar, Shimla, Kashmir and Ladakh.
The entire training program spans approximately 10-11 months and concludes with calls on VVIPs (President, Vice President, Prime Minister, External Affairs Minister, National Security Advisor and the Foreign Secretary) in the last week of the programme.
Upon completion of the training program, officers are assigned a compulsory foreign language (CFL) based on their rank in the UPSC CSE exam. Priority is given to UN languages, including Russian, French, Chinese, Spanish, and Arabic, as well as other languages such as German, Japanese, Hebrew, Persian, among others detailed below. UN languages, along with German and Japanese, are available every year, while other languages may be allocated depending on vacancies or typically after 2–3 years. There, they undergo language training and are expected to achieve proficiency, culminating in an examination conducted by the Ministry of Defence.
Successful completion of the language examination confirms the officer in service and leads to promotion to the rank of at the respective Indian embassy in the CFL country. Subsequent promotions and postings are generally based on performance rather than CFL and may include important diplomatic assignments in locations such as in the P-5 countries which are United States, Russia, China, United Kingdom and France, then comes the neighborhood countries of India (except China) like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Myanmar and then G4 nations which are Germany, Japan, and Brazil.
The following table categorizes some international cities according to the MEA classification system, ranging from A* (highest) to C*(NF) (lowest). Each category lists representative cities as per MEA guidelines.“Categories of stations and posting conditions” — Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, RTI Manual Section 4(1)(b)(viii). Available at: https://www.mea.gov.in/right-to-information.htm?dtl/127/41bviii_Statement_of_board_councils_committes_and_other_bodies (accessed 31 Mar 2021).
A* A B C C* (Hard C) C*(NF) Washington DC, New York, Geneva, Tokyo London, Paris, Madrid, Rome, Berlin, Dubai, Seoul Moscow, Beijing, Tel Aviv, Shanghai, Warsaw, Buenos Aires, Colombo Tehran, Cairo, Riyadh, Kyiv, Minsk Islamabad, Dhaka, Beirut, Ulaanbaatar, Pyongyang Kabul, Baghdad, Damascus
Functions
As a career diplomat, the Foreign Service Officer is required to project India's interests, both at home and abroad on a wide variety of issues. These include bilateral political and economic cooperation, trade and investment promotion, cultural interaction, press and media liaison as well as a whole host of multilateral issues.
Serving as India's Representative: Foreign Service Officers work in Indian Embassies, High Commissions, Consulates, and Permanent Missions to multilateral organizations like the UN, where they act as the official representatives of India. Protecting India's Interests: They are tasked with safeguarding and advancing India's national interests in the country where they are posted. Fostering Friendly Relations: Diplomats promote and cultivate friendly relations between India and the host country, including its people, as well as with Non-Resident Indians (NRI) and People of Indian Origin (PIO) communities. Accurate Reporting: Foreign Service Officers provide precise and timely reports on developments in the host country that may impact India's policies. Negotiating Agreements: They engage in negotiations with the authorities of the host country to establish agreements on a range of issues. Promoting Trade: They promote trade, business partnerships and investment promotion between India and the host country. Consular Services: Diplomats extend consular services to both foreign nationals in need and Indian citizens residing abroad, ensuring they receive necessary assistance and support.
Career Progression After successfully passing the UPSC CSE examination, a selected Indian Foreign Service Officer Trainee (OT) is initially appointed as an Assistant Secretary in any of the MEA, where the officer is required to execute assigned tasks within any division of the MEA. Upon completion of an initial training period of approximately two months, the officer is posted abroad as a Third Secretary at an Indian Embassy or Indian High Commission for language training. Typically, after 1 to 2 years, the officer is promoted to the rank of Second Secretary at the respective diplomatic mission.
After a period of 3 to 4 years of service abroad, the officer is recalled to the MEA and appointed as an Under Secretary, where they serve in any bench of the respective division of the MEA.
Following 8 to 9 years of service, the officer is promoted to Deputy Secretary and may be posted either in the MEA under any division or abroad as a First Secretary.