Bharat Darshan : IFS 2020 | Indian Foreign Service

The Indian Foreign Service is the diplomatic civil service under Group A and Group B of the Central Civil Services of the executive branch of the Government of India.
The service is entrusted to conduct diplomacy and manage foreign relations of India.[6] It is the body of career diplomats serving in more than 162 Indian Diplomatic Missions and International Organizations around the world. In addition, they serve at the headquarters of the Ministry of External affairs in Delhi and the Prime Minister's Office.[7] They also head the Regional Passport Offices throughout the country and hold positions in the President's Secretariat and several ministries on deputation.
The administrative and political heads are respectively the Foreign Secretary and the External Affairs Minister.
Selection:-
Officers of the Indian Foreign Service are recruited by the Government of India on the recommendation of the Union Public Service Commission. In 1948, the first group of Indian Foreign Service officers recruited under the combined Civil Services Examination administered by the Union Public Service Commission joined the service. This exam is still used to select new foreign service officers. Previous to 1948, some were appointed directly by the then Prime Minister and included former native rulers of India who had integrated their provinces into India apart from known persons like Mohammed Yunus.
Fresh recruits to the Indian Foreign Service are trained at Sushma Swaraj Foreign Service Institute after a brief foundation course at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie.In recent years, the intake into the Indian Foreign Service has averaged between 25-30 persons annually.
Training:-
On acceptance to the Foreign Service, new entrants undergo significant training, which is considered to be one of the most challenging and longest service trainings in the Government of India and nearly takes more than 1 year to graduate from. The entrants undergo a probationary period (and are referred to as Officer Trainees). Training begins at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie, where members of many elite Indian civil services are trained.
After completing a 15-week training at the LBSNAA, the probationers join the Sushma Swaraj Foreign Service Institute, India in New Delhi for a more intensive training in a host of subjects important to diplomacy, including international relations theory, military diplomacy, trade, India's foreign policy, history, international law, diplomatic practice, hospitality, protocol and administration. They also go on attachments with different government bodies and defence (Army, Navy, Air Force, CAPF) establishments and undertake tours both in India and abroad. The entire training programme lasts for a period of 12 months.
Upon the completion of the training programme at the Institute, the officer is assigned a compulsory foreign language (CFL). After a brief period of desk attachment in the Ministry of External Affairs, at the rank of Assistant Secretary, the officer is posted to an Indian diplomatic mission abroad where her/his CFL is the native language. There the officer undergoes language training and is expected to develop proficiency in the CFL and pass an examination before being allowed to continue in the service.
Functions:-
The Ambassador, High Commissioner, Consul General, Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations and Foreign Secretary are some of the offices held by the members of this service. As a career diplomat, the Foreign Service Officer is required to project India’s interests, both at home and abroad on a wide variety of issues. These include bilateral political and economic cooperation, trade and investment promotion, cultural interaction, press and media liaison as well as a whole host of multilateral issues.
Career and rank structure
The hierarchy in foreign service
Harsh Vardhan Shringla is the 33rd Foreign Secretary of India and administrative head of the Indian Foreign Service & Foreign Service Board
The below rank structure is for Indian Foreign Service officers who directly enter the service.
Career and rank structure:-
At an embassy: in ascending order of rank
Third Secretary (entry level)
Second Secretary (promotion upon being confirmed in service)
First Secretary
Counsellor
Minister
Deputy Chief of Mission/Deputy High Commissioner/Deputy Permanent Representative
Ambassador/High Commissioner/Permanent Representative
At the Ministry of External Affairs: in ascending order of rank
Assistant Secretary/Under Secretary
Deputy Secretary
Director
Joint Secretary
Additional Secretary
Secretary
Foreign Secretary of India (India's Top Diplomat, Administrative Head of the Indian Foreign Service & Foreign Service Board)
On the way to LBSNAA
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