kids encyclopedia robot

Minister of External Affairs (India) facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Not to be confused with the Foreign Secretary of India.
Quick facts for kids
Minister of External Affairs
Flag of India.svg
Ministry of External Affairs India.svg
The official portrait of External Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.jpg
Incumbent
Subrahmanyam Jaishankar
since 31 May 2019 (2019-05-31)
Ministry of External Affairs
Abbreviation MEA
Member of Cabinet of India
Cabinet Committee on Security
Reports to President of India
Prime Minister of India
Parliament of India
Appointer President of India
on the recommendation of the Prime Minister of India
Formation 1947 (1947)
First holder Jawaharlal Nehru
Deputy Kirti Vardhan Singh • Pabitra Margherita

The Minister of External Affairs (also called the External Affairs Minister) is a very important person in the Government of India. This minister leads the Ministry of External Affairs. Their main job is to represent India and its government to other countries around the world. They also help decide India's foreign policy, which is how India interacts with other nations. Sometimes, other ministers help them, like a Minister of State for External Affairs.

Who is the External Affairs Minister?

The first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, was also the External Affairs Minister for 17 years. He holds the record for serving the longest in this role. Some other Prime Ministers have also held this position. Interesting fact: a few External Affairs Ministers later became Prime Ministers themselves! These include Atal Bihari Vajpayee, P. V. Narasimha Rao, and I. K. Gujral.

Some ministers in this role were also experienced diplomats. This means they worked for their country in other nations before becoming ministers. For example, K. Natwar Singh was an Ambassador to Poland. The current minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, was also a top diplomat, serving as the Foreign Secretary.

The current Minister of External Affairs is Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. He took office on May 31, 2019. He followed Sushma Swaraj from the Bharatiya Janata Party.

What Does the Minister Do?

The Minister of External Affairs is like India's chief spokesperson to the world. They travel to different countries to meet with leaders. They discuss important topics like trade, peace, and global issues. They also work to protect Indian citizens living abroad. This role is key to building good relationships with other nations.

Important People in India's Foreign Policy

Many talented individuals have served as India's External Affairs Minister. Each one has helped shape how India interacts with the rest of the world. Their work is crucial for India's place on the global stage. They ensure India's voice is heard and respected internationally.

See also

Images for kids

  • Jnehru

    Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister and longest-serving External Affairs Minister.

  • Gulzarilal Nanda 1

    Gulzarilal Nanda, who briefly served as Prime Minister and External Affairs Minister.

  • Lal Bahadur Shastri (from stamp)

    Lal Bahadur Shastri, another Prime Minister who held the External Affairs portfolio.

  • Sardar Swaran Singh

    Swaran Singh, who served multiple terms as External Affairs Minister.

  • Mohamed Ali Currim Chagla

    M. C. Chagla, a former Ambassador who became External Affairs Minister.

  • Indira Gandhi official portrait

    Indira Gandhi, who also held the External Affairs portfolio as Prime Minister.

  • Dinesh Singh Lok Sabha portrait

    Dinesh Singh, who served as Minister of External Affairs.

  • Yashwantrao Chavan

    Yashwantrao Chavan, a former External Affairs Minister.

  • Atal Bihari Vajpayee (crop 2)

    Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who became Prime Minister after serving as External Affairs Minister.

  • Shyam Nandan Prasad Mishra portrait

    Shyam Nandan Prasad Mishra, who served as External Affairs Minister.

  • Visit of Narasimha Rao, Indian Minister for Foreign Affairs, to the CEC (cropped)(2)

    P. V. Narasimha Rao, who later became Prime Minister.

  • Rajiv Gandhi, the 6th PM of India

    Rajiv Gandhi, who held the External Affairs portfolio as Prime Minister.

  • Bali Ram Bhagat portrait

    Bali Ram Bhagat, who served as External Affairs Minister.

  • P. Shiv Shankar (cropped)

    P. Shiv Shankar, a former External Affairs Minister.

  • Shri Narayan Dutt Tiwari

    N. D. Tiwari, who served as External Affairs Minister.

  • V. P. Singh (cropped)

    Vishwanath Pratap Singh, who briefly held the portfolio as Prime Minister.

  • Inder Kumar Gujral 071

    Inder Kumar Gujral, a former Ambassador and later Prime Minister.

  • Chandra Shekhar Singh

    Chandra Shekhar, who held the External Affairs portfolio as Prime Minister.

  • Vidya Charan Shukla (cropped)

    Vidya Charan Shukla, who served as External Affairs Minister.

  • Pranab Mukherjee Portrait (cropped)

    Pranab Mukherjee, a prominent figure who served as External Affairs Minister.

  • Sikander Bakht Lok Sabha photo

    Sikander Bakht, who served as External Affairs Minister.

  • Jaswant Singh in 2001

    Jaswant Singh, a former External Affairs Minister.

  • Yashwant Sinha IMF

    Yashwant Sinha, who served as External Affairs Minister.

  • K. Natwar Singh 2005

    K. Natwar Singh, a former diplomat and External Affairs Minister.

  • Manmohan Singh in 2009

    Manmohan Singh, who held the External Affairs portfolio as Prime Minister.

  • India-eam-krishna (cropped)

    S. M. Krishna, who served as External Affairs Minister.

  • Salman Khurshid portrait (cropped)

    Salman Khurshid, a former External Affairs Minister.

  • Secretary Tillerson is Greeted by Indian Minister of External Affairs Swaraj (24074726498) (cropped)

    Sushma Swaraj, a former External Affairs Minister.

  • The official portrait of External Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar

    Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, the current Minister of External Affairs.

  • Syed Mahmud Lok Sabha photo

    Syed Mahmud, a Minister of State for External Affairs.

  • Lakshmi N. Menon (1963)

    Lakshmi N. Menon, a Minister of State for External Affairs.

  • Surendra Pal Singh portrait

    Surendra Pal Singh, who served as a Minister of State.

  • Samarendra Kundu

    Samarendra Kundu, a Minister of State for External Affairs.

  • A.A.Rahim(inc)

    A. A. Rahim, a Minister of State for External Affairs.

  • Ram Niwas Mirdha (cropped)

    Ram Niwas Mirdha, a Minister of State for External Affairs.

  • Khurshed Alam Khan (cropped)

    Khurshed Alam Khan, a Minister of State for External Affairs.

  • Sh. Kocheril Raman Narayanan AI-enhanced portrait

    K. R. Narayanan, who later became President of India.

  • Eduardo Faleiro (cropped)

    Eduardo Faleiro, who served as a Minister of State.

  • Hari Kishore Singh (cropped)

    Hari Kishore Singh, a Minister of State for External Affairs.

  • R. L. Bhatia

    R. L. Bhatia, a Minister of State for External Affairs.

  • Vasundhra Raje

    Vasundhara Raje, a Minister of State for External Affairs.

  • Uppalapati Krishnam Raju

    Krishnam Raju, a Minister of State for External Affairs.

  • Omar Abdullah (portrait)

    Omar Abdullah, a Minister of State for External Affairs.

  • Dig Vijaysingh

    Digvijay Singh, who served as a Minister of State.

  • Vinod Khanna at Esha Deol's wedding at ISCKON temple 11 (cropped)

    Vinod Khanna, a Minister of State for External Affairs.

  • The portrait of the Minister of State for Railways, Shri E. Ahammed

    E. Ahamed, a Minister of State for External Affairs.

  • Rao Inderjit Singh taking over as Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Planning in May 2014 (cropped)

    Rao Inderjit Singh, a Minister of State for External Affairs.

  • Anand Sharma - World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2012

    Anand Sharma, a Minister of State for External Affairs.

  • Preneet Kaur

    Preneet Kaur, a Minister of State for External Affairs.

  • Sasi Tharoor 2021 at Kollam

    Shashi Tharoor, a Minister of State for External Affairs.

  • India's Minister of State for External Affairs Vijay Kumar Singh (15760995677) (cropped)

    V. K. Singh, a Minister of State for External Affairs.

  • M. J. Akbar assuming office in 2016 (cropped)

    M. J. Akbar, a Minister of State for External Affairs.

  • Vellamvelly Muraleedharan and Gustavo Zlauvinen 02 (cropped)

    V. Muraleedharan, a Minister of State for External Affairs.

  • Meenakshi Lekhi with PM Modi (cropped)

    Meenakshi Lekhi, a Minister of State for External Affairs.

  • Rajkumar Ranjan Singh in January 2022

    Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, a Minister of State for External Affairs.

  • Kirtivardhan Singh assuming charge as the Minister of State of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

    Kirti Vardhan Singh, a current Deputy Minister.

  • Pabitra Margherita in 2024 (cropped)

    Pabitra Margherita, a current Deputy Minister.

  • B. V. Keskar portrait

    B. V. Keskar, a Deputy Minister of External Affairs.

  • Anil Kumar Chanda portrait

    Anil Kumar Chanda, a Deputy Minister of External Affairs.

  • Bipinpal Das portrait

    Bipinpal Das, a Deputy Minister of External Affairs.

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Minister of External Affairs (India) Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.