Iin the sandstone corridors of South Block, there is intense speculation that major changes are afoot in the MEA with divisions being broken up and merged. Since Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh asked for fresh suggestions on how to get better results, the grapevine has it that important changes are due in the ministry’s structure.
Most of the speculation coalesces around the key ‘BSM’ division, which handles India’s high priority relations with Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Myanmar. The formula being bandied about is that the division would be cleaved into two, with Bangladesh and Myanmar still together, while Sri Lanka and Maldives to be placed under another joint secretary. There is talk that Sri Lanka and Maldives will form the core of a new division on the Indian Ocean region, along with Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar from the purview of the South and East Africa division, which had 19 countries under its scanner. India’s engagement, especially in development aid, with each of the four countries in BSM has increased exponentially in the last five years. For example, approximately $1 million in aid for Bangladesh has increased to more than $1 billion. Similarly, with Sri Lanka it has escalated to over $100 million. Besides breaking a division, there is also talk about a merger of the External Publicity and Public Diplomacy— effectively bringing them back to their original state.
Sources say the pressure to make changes is not coming from the Prime Minister’s office. Sources say that if any changes do take place, they would happen only after the new secretaries take charge and the current territorial desk heads move on.
On Friday, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved three names for the posts of three secretaries—Anil Wadhwa, Dinkar Khullar and P S Raghavan. The joint secretary in charge of BSM division, Harsh Vardhan Shringla is slated to go to Bangkok as Indian ambassador, in place of Wadhwa who returns to the headquarters as Secretary (East). “The question is, when Shringla leaves office will he hand over charge to one or two successors?” wondered a senior MEA official.
Even the additional secretary in charge of ESA division is going to change soon, with Ravi Bangar already announced as the next Indian envoy to Cyprus. Right now, filling senior positions would not be difficult, as joint secretaries are in surplus at the MEA. The shortage is of officers at the director and deputy secretary-level.
In South Block, real estate may be rearranged with some divisions expected to be moved out to Jawaharlal Nehru Bhawan to ease up on cramped space. Officials point out that in recent decade, there have not been many changes in the territorial divisions; the only departments formed were functional in nature. This is in contrast to the 1990s, when there had been a lot of variations in portfolios, as India tried to adapt to changing global realities. In J N Dixit’s book, My South Block Years, he recounted the overhaul of the divisions during his first few months as foreign secretary, creating the Asia Pacific division, while the Southern Division extended to include ASEAN.
However, most of the divisions that he wrote about have not retained their shape, while some don’t exist anymore. For example, the Northern Division looked after Bhutan, China, Nepal, Korea and Mongolia. Now, it keeps tab on only Nepal and Bhutan. East Asia division takes care of the rest, as well as Japan.
Kishan Rana, former MEA secretary, says more than the number of divisions, it is how the Foreign Secretary deals with her own portfolio of work that is crucial.