Indian Foreign Service

Indian Foreign Service
Service overview
Formed9 October 1946; 78 years ago (9 October 1946)
HeadquartersSouth Block, New Delhi
Country India
Training GroundSushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service, New Delhi
Field of OperationDiplomatic missions of India (blue) & HQ and domestic offices (green)
Controlling AuthorityMinistry of External Affairs
Legal personalityGovernmental: Civil Service
Preceding ServiceIndian Civil Service
Cadre SizeIFS (A): 996 (March 2021)[1]
Total strength (including IFS (B)): 4,297 (as of March 2021)[1][2]
Service Chief
Foreign SecretaryVikram Misri, IFS
Minister of the Service
Minister of External AffairsSubrahmanyam Jaishankar, MP

The Indian Foreign Service (IFS) is a diplomatic service and a central civil service of the Government of India under the Ministry of External Affairs.[3] 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.[4] 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.[5] They also head Regional Passport Offices throughout the country and hold positions in several ministries on deputation.

Post-retirement, Indian Foreign Service officers have held high offices including that of President, Vice President, Governors of States, Speaker of Lok Sabha, and Cabinet ministers.

  1. ^ a b "Directory of officers and employees of MEA". www.mea.gov.in. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Twelfth Report, Standing Committee on External Affairs: Indian Foreign Service cadre" (PDF). Lok Sabha. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  3. ^ "Indian Foreign Service – Background". cseplus.nic.in. CSE Plus. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  4. ^ "MEA – About MEA : Indian Foreign Service". mea.gov.in. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  5. ^ "Singla appointed PS to PM Narendra Modi". hindustantimes.com. 20 July 2014. Archived from the original on 21 July 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2018.