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Tuesday, April 7, 2026
TopicIndian foreign service

Topic: indian foreign service

IFS vs IIS officers. Who can do a better job with ‘Brand India’ in embassies?

Still under wraps, the plan signals a potential shift in how India conducts diplomacy, with communication and perception management taking centre stage.

During 1963 Burma exodus, Indian families trusted a young diplomat with their gold. It was Eric Gonsalves

Gonsalves, a part of India’s second-ever batch of foreign service officers, passed away Sunday in a hospital in Bengaluru at 97.

India and Canada appoint new envoys, Dinesh Patnaik will be Delhi’s High Commissioner in Ottawa

Christopher Cooter will become High Commissioner for Canada in India, a position previously held by Cameron MacKay.

Understaffed MEA slowing down India’s sprint towards ‘Vishwa Guru’ status, but needle may be moving

With 1,011 officers across 137 countries, India has around the same cadre of diplomats as smaller countries, like New Zealand & Singapore.

‘GOAT of foreign service’ turns 100. MK Rasgotra was Nehru’s aide & critic, gave Chanakyapuri its name

Rasgotra has seen the transformation of Indian foreign policy from Independence to the 1990s. The most notable was his tenure as foreign secretary from May 1982 to January 1985.

Govt owes Indians an explanation. Or its gag order & pension rule can be seen as blackmail

Retired officials’ freedom of expression has been threatened by empowering the government to withhold pension even before 'guilt' is established.

K Shankar Bajpai, India’s former envoy to US, China and Pakistan, dies at 92

Former IFS officer K Shankar Bajpai was born into a family of diplomats, and after serving the country, went on to become a noted academic.

India wants to be Vishwa Guru but IFS gets too few diplomats to take us there

Only 24 officers were recruited to the IFS in this year’s UPSC exam, and officials and former diplomats say there’s a host of reasons why.

50% IAS, IFS recruits are children of govt servants. But this is a story of their merit

Of the civil servants who have taken the foundation course at LBSNAA since 2014, at least 50% come from families with a govt service background, data shows.

How capable is India’s foreign policy — IFS officers cover the base but MEA needs fixing

India is relatively strong at the level of individual competence but weak at the organisational and systemic levels.

On Camera

Syringes, MRI to ventilators, West Asia war squeezing India’s medical supply chain—costs up 10 to 50%

Industry says manufacturers have 2-4 weeks of buffer stocks, but prolonged disruption could push up shortage risks, especially of consumables like IV and syringes.

UAE walks away from financing Rafale F5 due to restricted access to technology, reports French media

French newspaper La Tribune earlier last week indicated that UAE withdrew from deal to fund EUR 3.5 billion. India is looking to order 114 new Rafales, which could include the F5.

China insulated itself against energy shocks. India is ‘all talk, no walk’

China patiently invested capital, skill and technology in coal gasification. Unlike it, we won’t move from words to action. As crude prices decline, we lose interest.