'No progress' made in opening India's resident missions in 41 countries, says Par panel

New Delhi, Dec 18 (PTI) A parliamentary panel has observed that India currently lacks a resident mission or post in 41 countries, limiting opportunities for engagement with potential partners and the strengthening of diplomatic, economic, and strategic ties.

The committee has recommended that the government should "expedite operationalisation" of five new missions in Europe, Latin America and Caribbean region, approval for which has been taken, including opening a resident mission in countries where India still does not have it.

The report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, headed by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, was presented in Parliament on Thursday.

It deals with the action taken by the government on the observations or recommendations contained in their fifth report on the subject 'Demands for Grants of the Ministry of External Affairs for the year 2025-26'.

The panel also noted that India's diplomatic influence is growing, and the country is taking on an increasingly important role in global affairs, including multilateral engagements, regional security, development partnerships, and responding to emerging challenges such as climate change, cyber security and global public health.

"However, MEA's allocation as a percentage of the government of India's total budget continues to decline from 0.46 per cent in FY 2024-25 to 0.41 per cent in FY 2025-26. This reduction in MEA’s share is alarming, particularly given the broadening scope of India's international outreach and responsibilities," it flagged.

The committee recommended that the government should consider increasing the budgetary allocation of MEA by at least 20 per cent in the next fiscal year to meet the expanding needs and ensure more effective engagement on the global stage.

The panel said India currently lacks a resident mission or post in 41 countries.

The committee said it has noted from the action taken reply by the government that by June 2025, five new posts have been operationalised in Belfast (UK), Manchester (UK), Fukuoka (Japan), Boston (USA) and Los Angeles (USA).

"However, the committee notes that no progress has been made in opening of a resident mission or post in 41 countries, and the diplomatic relations in these countries are currently being handled by concurrent accreditation with neighbouring missions and appointment of honorary consuls," it said.

The committee said it would appreciate if the MEA could provide the reasons for the same.

"The main concern of the committee is that absent of resident missions or posts in 41 countries would have adversely affected the objective of our Foreign Policy to build a conducive environment for India's growth and development through partnerships with friendly countries," the report said.

Considering that India’s missions and posts across the world serve as conduits of its relations with partner countries, the panel has urged the MEA to "expedite operationalisation of five new missions in Europe, Latin America and Caribbean region approval for which has been taken, including opening a resident mission in countries where India still does not have, so as to increase India's diplomatic and strategic footprints", it said.

The committee said it has noted that India's missions and posts abroad currently operate with a strength of 6,277, comprising 3,158 India-based posts and 3,119 local posts as of February 1, 2025.

The Centre told the panel that in 2024, 10 new missions and posts were operationalised. By June 2025, five new posts have been operationalised in Belfast (UK), Manchester (UK), Fukuoka (Japan), Boston (USA) and Los Angeles (USA).

In the context of Bangladesh, the panel also noted that no new High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDPs) are expected to be initiated in 2025-26 as the political and security situation in that country remains disturbed.

The committee said it is "concerned" to note that the dates for India-Africa Forum Summit-IV (IAFS-IV) have not been finalised yet and it is unlikely that it will take place in 2025.

Moreover, a thorough review of the status report on ongoing projects under IAFS-I, IAFS-II and IAFS-III, as furnished by the ministry, reveals that although 21 projects have been identified for implementation, actual implementation has not commenced in 16 of them due to various constraints, it said.

In its report, the panel has strongly recommended that the ministry expedite the full integration of the Passport SevaProgramme with Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS) database of Ministry of Home Affairs to further enhance security and improve the verification process for passport applications.

It further said the security situation in Afghanistan is a "matter of concern" for the safety of Indian personnel involved in developmental and humanitarian work.

"The committee, however, feels the need for a separate mechanism/wing to give focused attention to the security aspects and urge the government to work out the modalities in this regard, in consultation with the agencies concerned in India," it said. PTI KND KVK KVK