DHAKA: India has created a separate division in its ministry of external affairs (MEA) for Bangladesh and Myanmar, splitting the old BSM division into two.
The BSM division was in charge of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Maldives -- four countries crucial for India.
Sripriya Ranganathan will take charge of this division after Harsh Shringla, current joint secretary, leaves as the next ambassador to Thailand.
Breaking from the past, foreign secretary Sujatha Singh has made the first set of the organizational changes in the ministry of external affairs after taking over, reports Times of India.
Acknowledging the significance of the Indian Ocean region to India`s foreign and security policy, Singh has created a separate division for the region, splitting the old BSM division into two. The BSM division was in charge of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Maldives -- four countries crucial for India.
But recently, it was felt that Maldives and Sri Lanka were cornerstones of a bigger Indian policy that encompasses and extends beyond the merely bilateral. Hence, the decision to hive off these countries into a larger Indian Ocean division, where Suchitra Durai, an IFS officer of the 1988 batch, will be the first head.
On the other hand, Bangladesh and Myanmar see a greater degree of policy synergies. In fact, India actually regards these two countries as the gateway to Southeast Asia. Southeast Asia itself needs several divisions but the lack of personnel may make that difficult.
Singh has also started a system of sensitizing officers, particularly male ones, about how to respond to queries from foreign interlocutors about the growing violence against women in India. An instinctive defensive behaviour has been seen among the men, who typically respond by pointing to similar violence in other countries. "They need to be taught how to deal with such situations, without sounding like a clump," she has reportedly said.
While creating smaller territorial divisions have their own logic, the real challenge within MEA is the severe lack of officials. The general perception is more joint secretaries make for more efficient work. In reality, territorial divisions in MEA need more under secretaries, deputy secretaries and directors. These are hard to find, and MEA is unwilling to groom outsiders for the job.
In a second move, Singh has, for the time being, re-merged the external publicity and public diplomacy divisions. Former foreign secretary Shyam Saran had split these divisions. Syed Akbaruddin, the MEA spokesperson, will be in charge of both divisions.
With visas becoming the preserve of the home ministry, the older practice of dividing the consular, passports and visas division will now stop. Singh has decided to reunite them into a single division, which Mukta Tomar, from the 1984 batch, will head.
Interestingly, many more women will be heading territorial divisions in MEA. Apart from Sripriya Ranganathan, Suchitra Durai and Mukta Tomar, Riva Ganguly Das will head the Latin America division, making the ministry more gender-balanced.
BDST: 0922 HRS, JAN 09, 2014
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