Ministry of External Affairs Annual Report | 2020-21 Ministry of External Affairs New Delhi Annual Report | 2020-21 A digital copy of the Annual Report can be accessed at the Ministry’s website : website theMinistry’s at canbeaccessed Report Annual the of digitalcopy A The Annual Report of the Ministry of External Affairs is brought outby thePolicy Planning andResearch Division. www.mea.gov.in . ORGANOGRAM OF THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS* EXTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTER Overall supervision and coordination of policy and implementation; PAI, BM, IOR, North, EA, Indo-Pacific, Russia, EU, France, Germany, UK, AMS, SAARC, BIMSTEC, UN, D&ISA, Parliament (including Starred questions), External Public Diplomacy, ICCR; Administration (except JEB, SEB & equivalent appointments), CNV, CPV (except PSP and CPO), L&T, PP&R; Political clearance in respect of Governors, Lt. Governors, Union Council of Ministers, Chief Minister, Judges of Supreme Court and High Courts and Chairpersons and Members of National Level Commissions and Tribunals. MINISTER OF STATE FOR EXTERNAL AFFAIRS LAC, East and Southern Africa, Europe West (except France, Germany, UK), Central Europe, Eurasia (except Russia), South, GCI, WANA, Central & West Africa, CT, MER, DPA; ED & States, Protocol, Establishment, GEM, Finance, OIA-I, OIA-II, OE & PG, SSIFS, BOS, Welfare, A & RM; Coordination, Administration (JEB, SEB & equivalent appointments), PSP and CPO, ICWA, Library; Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha (Unstarred questions); Political clearance (except for Governors, Lt. Governors, Union Council of Ministers, Chief Minister, Judges of Supreme Court and High Courts and Chairpersons and Members of National Level Commissions and Tribunals) Secretary Secretary Foreign Secretary Secretary (East) Secretary (West) (CPV & Overseas (Economic Relations) Overall Coordination and EA (except China & Japan), EU, Europe West (except Indian Affairs) Development Partnership supervision of work; EA AMS (Canada), Southern, UK, France and Germany), OIA-I, OIA-II, OE & PGE, Administration; MER, (only China & Japan), AMS Indo-Pacific, Oceania Central Europe Divisions; CPV & PSP; PBK, Gulf & Investment & Trade (only US), North, BM, Divisions; ASEAN, ASEM, ERS Division (except WANA Divisions; GCC, In- promotion, NEST, WTO IOR, PAI Divisions; EW EAS, MGC, Nalanda, Russia); Multilateral dia-Arab League, Maghreb Policy, WIPO, GCI, ED & Division (only UK, France, BIMSTEC, SAARC, FIPIC; Diplomacy – UN (except Union; BRICS. States; East and Southern Germany); ERS Division LAC Division, MERCOSUR, Security Council), NAM, Africa, Central and West (only Russia); RIC; D&ISA CARICOM; A&RM, RTI CHOGM, UNCTAD; SCO; Africa Divisions; AU, Division; Administration, Divisions; Parliament & CT Division; L&T, Protocol, African Regional Economic Establishment, GEM, Coordination, RBB, I&T Conference Division Communities (SADC, IGAD, CNV, BOS, PP&R, CCCS, Divisions. & XPD; Coordination TEAM-9 and COMESA), Finance and EG&IT and CD of events related to India-Africa Forum; IBSA. Divisions; ICCR; commemoration of Designed and Produced by UNSC; G-20. Gandhi @150. www.creativedge.in * As on 18 January 2021 Introduction and SynopsIs contents Introduction and SynopsIs 8 1 India’s Neighbours 30 2 Indian Ocean Region 47 3 South East Asia and Oceania 51 4 East Asia 61 5 Eurasia 66 6 Gulf, West Asia and North Africa 74 7 Africa 88 8 Europe and the European Union 105 9 The Americas 127 10 BIMSTEC, SAARC and Nalanda 142 11 Indo Pacific 145 12 United Nations and International Organisations 149 13 Multilateral Economic Relations 158 14 Development Cooperation 161 15 Economic Diplomacy 169 16 States Division 177 17 Disarmament and International Security Affairs 181 18 Legal and Treaties Division 186 19 Policy Planning and Research Division 190 20 Counter-Terrorism 194 21 Cyber Diplomacy, E-Governance & IT 196 22 Consular, Passport and Visa services 199 23 Overseas Indian Affairs 207 24 New, Emerging and Strategic Technologies Division 211 25 Protocol 213 26 External Publicity & Public Diplomacy Division 216 27 Administration, Establishment, and Right to Information 221 28 Implementation of Official Language Policy 223 29 Finance and Budget 224 30 Parliament and Coordination Division 230 31 Conference Division 233 32 Archives 235 33 Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service 236 34 Indian Council for Cultural Relations 240 Appendices 243 7 Annual Report 2020-21 Introduction and SynopsIs Vande Bharat Mission Development and production of Covid vaccines in India, and India provided vaccines to Afghanistan, Bhutan, Maldives, Introduction their export highlighted India’s position as a responsible and Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Mauritius, Mexico, Seychelles, reliable stakeholder in global health supply chains and as a Sri Lanka, the UAE, Brazil, Morocco, Bahrain, Oman, Egypt, responsible global citizen. They also focused attention on Algeria, Kuwait and South Africa. The supplies have been and the capacities of India’s bio-pharmaceutical sector. In 2021, made under grant assistance as well as on a commercial basis. SynopsIs he Covid-19 pandemic delivered a major shock to the role in the procurement operations to strengthen the capacities international system in 2020-21. Society as a whole and of the medical system to respond to the pandemic. Testing kits, Tgovernments across the world were forced to cope with ventilators, PPEs and masks and also appropriate technologies unprecedented disruption. The spreading virus caused different were sourced on a worldwide basis. parts of the world to lock down and impose restrictions on movement. This in turn led to major economic trauma The evacuation of more than 110,000 foreign nationals from including loss of livelihoods and the most severe contraction of different parts of India to 123 countries was facilitated. A output in decades. The human cost of the pandemic has been large-scale coordinated effort, the Vande Bharat Mission, substantial. More than 2 million lives were lost. A whole way involving Indian Missions and Posts abroad and all concerned organisations in India was launched. More than 3 million of life stood threatened. Launch of Vaccine Maitri in Nepal Indians have returned to India under this mission. Returns took The Ministry of External Affairs, during this very difficult period, place by air, by sea and by land. has focused on coping with the outcome of the pandemic and in The Ministry adapted with speed and scale to the challenges and voice communications. The Prime Minister participated India also acted as a responsible international citizen during taking the lead in responding to it. The response was at multiple imposed to diplomatic communication and interaction imposed in several virtual multilateral and plurilateral summit level the crisis by providing Covid-related medical supplies to levels and along multiple directions of effort. A Covid-19 cell by the disruptions to travel. Corona-era diplomacy using virtual meetings including G20, SAARC, UN General Assembly, BRICS over 154 countries. These included medications such as was immediately created and senior officers deployed on Covid tools was rapidly activated. Multilateral, plurilateral and bilateral Summit, the Vaccine Summit, SCO Summit, and the ASEAN- Hydroxychloroquine and Paracetamol. These supplies were related duties. A Control Room manned 24x7 was set up to meetings have taken place at all levels using virtual platforms India Summit deal with emergency requests from stranded Indians and to transported in spite of lockdowns and logistical challenges. disseminate information. It has received more than 110,000 Indian Rapid Response Teams were also deployed in Comoros, emails and 33,000 telephone calls. The Ministry played a key Kuwait, Maldives and Mauritius to assist in pandemic response. 8 9 Annual Report 2020-21 Introduction and SynopsIs 1st Bilateral Virtual Summit between India and Australia on 04 June 2020 Prime Minister convened a meeting of SAARC leaders on combating Covid-19 on 15 March 2020 Prime Minister conducted at least 70 tele-conversations and India and these destinations. In the broader Indian Ocean region, under PM’s broad vision of overseas during the pandemic was Tehran in September 2020. virtual meetings with leaders around the world. Virtual Summit SAGAR - Security and Growth for all in the Region - relations Subsequently, he visited UAE and Bahrain in November 2020 meetings were also initiated and Prime Minister participated The policy of putting Neighbourhood First remained one of the have been augmented with partners in the region in defence and Qatar in December 2020. Minister of State visited Oman in summits with Australia, Bangladesh, Denmark, EU, Italy, fundamental pillars of Indian diplomacy during this period. Our and security, development partnership, training and capacity and UAE in December 2020 and January 2021, respectively. Luxembourg, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam. neighbours were prioritized in our overseas Covid assistance building. High level contact was sustained. Prime Minister and programmes. The SAARC Covid-19 Emergency Fund was Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth jointly inaugurated This region houses a large concentration of the Indian diaspora. External Affairs Minister (EAM) conducted at least 113 tele- created with India contributing USD 10 million. the new Supreme Court Building in Mauritius during a video It was a major focus of Vande Bharat missions and of community conversations and meetings with his counterparts and leaders conference on 30 July 2020. welfare