The External Affairs Minister (EAM) is a cabinet-ranking office in the Government of India, serving as the political head of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The EAM's chief responsibility is to represent the Government of India in the international community and direct the country's foreign policy to advance its interests on the global stage.
The role originated in August 1947 as the Minister of External and Commonwealth Affairs, created to manage the foreign relations of the newly independent nation. It was formally renamed Minister of External Affairs in 1950 when India became a republic. The first holder was Jawaharlal Nehru, who held the portfolio for the longest period, from 1947 until his death in 1964.
The EAM works by formulating and implementing foreign policy through the MEA, which operates over 200 diplomatic missions globally. The Minister is assisted by Ministers of State (MoS) for External Affairs, while the administrative head of the Ministry is the Foreign Secretary, who is the senior-most non-elected official and an officer of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS). The MEA is responsible for diplomatic relations, negotiating international treaties, representing India in global forums like the United Nations, and safeguarding the rights of Indian citizens abroad.
The office connects directly to the Union Cabinet and the Cabinet Committee on Security. Legislative oversight is provided by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, which consists of members from both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. A significant recent change occurred on January 7, 2016, when the Ministry of External Affairs was integrated with the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs to streamline governance. The current EAM, S. Jaishankar, is a former Foreign Secretary, marking a notable instance of a career diplomat heading the Ministry.