PM nod to MEA, overseas Indian ministry merger

More than 10 years after the UPA government had carved out a separate ministry from the the external affairs ministry (EAM) to improve engagements with the Indian diaspora, in the form of ministry of overseas Indian affairs (MOIA), the NDA government has decided to merge it back with the parent ministry. The move is in line with the NDA government motto of minimum government, maximum governance.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has cleared the proposal which was put forth to him by the external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj.

Ms Swaraj announced this in a series of tweets on Thursday.“As minister for external affairs & overseas Indian affairs, I realised that substantial work of MOIA is done through our missions abroad,” she tweeted, adding that “Therefore, I proposed to hon’ble Prime Minister that MOIA should be merged with the ministry of external affairs”.

“Hon’ble Prime Minister has kindly accepted my proposal. So MOIA will now be part of the ministry of external affairs,” she informed in another tweet.

Spokesperson in the external affairs ministry Vikas Swarup said that the process of merger has already begun and the exercise is being personally supervised by Ms Swaraj while keeping in mind the needs of the diaspora.

He said the decision will help the government address duplication as well as unnecessary delays in various works.

Mr Swarup said the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, which used to be a flagship event of the MOIA, will be celebrated by the MEA on January 9.

Since the creation of the MOIA in 2004, there have been two separate ministers in charge of the two ministries. However, since 2014, Ms Swaraj and minister of state in the MEA V. K. Singh were handling both the ministries, said Mr Swarup.

Established in May 2004 as the ministry of non-resident Indians’ affairs, it was renamed as the ministry of uverseas Indian affairs in September 2004. The primary task of the MOIA was to connect the Indian diaspora with its motherland.