Brief History
The Ministry was initially the Ministry of External Affairs and Commonwealth Relations, a holdover from the British Raj. It was renamed as the Ministry of External Affairs in 1948. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru held additional charge of the portfolio till 1964 and it was only then that a separate Minister with Cabinet rank was appointed. The ministry is responsible for the administration of Naga Hills, Tuensang Area, Indian Emigration Act of 1923, the Reciprocity Act of 1943, the Port Haj Committee Act of 1932, the Indian Merchant Shipping Act in so far as it relates to pilgrim ships, the Indian Pilgrim Shipping Rules of 1933, the Protection of Pilgrims Act of 1887 (Bombay) and the Protection of the Mohammedan Pilgrims Act of 1896 (Bengal) are also the special responsibility of the Ministry of External Affairs.
The following cadre controlling authority of the Civil Services (Indian Foreign Service) is under the administration and supervision of the External Affairs Ministry.
Read more about this topic: Ministry Of External Affairs (India)
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