Important Facts For Prelims
Indian Foreign Service (IFS)
- 12 Oct 2022
- 3 min read
Why in News?
Every year, Indian Foreign Service (IFS) Day is celebrated on 9th October.
Why is Indian Foreign Service (IFS) Day Celebrated?
- About:
- Indian Foreign Service Day is celebrated to commemorate the day the Indian Cabinet created the Foreign Service.
- Origin:
- The Indian government established the Indian Foreign Service for India's diplomatic, consular and commercial representation overseas on 9th October 1946.
- With independence, there was a near-complete transition of the Foreign and Political Department into what then became the new Ministry of External Affairs.
- The origin of the Indian Foreign Service can be traced back to British rule when the Foreign Department was created to conduct business with the "Foreign European Powers".
- Offices under IFS:
- Ambassador, High Commissioner, Consul General, Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations and Foreign Secretary are some of the offices held by the members of the Indian Foreign Service.
How do Foreign Service Officers Contribute to the Country?
- 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.
- During the Russia-Ukraine war, the splendid manner in which officers rose to the challenges of Operation Ganga was recognised by the entire nation.
- Operation Ganga was an evacuation operation by India to evacuate the Indian citizens amidst the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, who had crossed over to neighboring countries.
- Under the Vande Bharat Mission, lakhs of Indians have been brought back by air, sea and land across multiple borders.
- Over the years IFS has produced President and Vice President of India, Speaker of Lok Sabha, Ministers, Parliamentarians, noted authors, scholars, historians and international public servants from its ranks.
