WIDE EYE: Reforming Indias Foreign Service More Trade Less Politics

On May 26, a ministry headed by Narendra Modi assumed office in New Delhi. That event was preceded by a long and bitterly contested election where Modi prevailed on the strength of his promise to get India back on track and a better future for its citizens. The mandate was unquestionably for a purposeful and decisive leader but it also reflected the larger popular impatience with India's economic under performance in the past five years.For Modi, an enlightened economic agenda that does away with bureaucratic sloth, corruption and unleashes the entrepreneurial energies of India is at the forefront of his priorities. In the coming years, as India undertakes a massive capacity building exercise, the focus of its diplomacy must necessarily undergo a massive change.For at least five of the six decades since Independence, India had focussed its diplomatic energies on becoming (to use V.K. Krishna Menon's phrase) a “moral force” in the world. Translated in practice this meant Indian diplomats preaching to the rest of the world even as its ministers scoured the developed world for aid and led what was described as a “ship to mouth existence”. Despite all the post-colonial guilt-tripping it indulged in and ritual invocations of the Buddha and Mahatma Gandhi, Indian diplomacy was regarded as infuriatingly preachy and sanctimonious by the West.Things altered somewhat after the economic liberalisation of 1991 when India was viewed in financial centres as an investment destination with enormous potential. On its part, New Delhi too realised that the thrust of its traditional diplomacy had to undergo significant shifts to factor in an economy-centric outreach.Unfortunately, the changes have not been uniformly felt. Indian diplomats remain wary of trade issues, particularly anything involving the private sector. Secondly, whereas a significant part of economic decision-making has shifted to the states, Indian diplomacy remains almost entirely focussed on decisions emanating from the Centre. The state governments have received perfunctory support from Indian missions overseas.This culture of diplomacy looks set to change under a Modi dispensation. Having experienced the cultural obsolescence of Indian diplomacy during his 13-year tenure as Chief Minister of one of India's most economically dynamic states, Modi is likely to want Indian missions to be an important part of the support system for India's economic transformation. Far from being centres of aimless existence, the outposts of India could well be transformed into purposeful business centres that facilitate outward and inward investments.Predictably, such a shift in emphasis warrants a new variety of Indian diplomat, one who is receptive to the financial world, the private sector and the language of business. Whether the existing Indian Foreign Service (IFS) can be made fit for purpose is a question that will agitate the minds of decision-makers in the months to come. It is entirely possible that the IFS will need to be complemented with many more assignments for those who have served in economic ministries and even lateral entries from the corporate world.This transition could witness a spate of turf wars involving different wings of the civil service. In the long run, however, a change in emphasis is a must if India is to realise its full potential globally.

Swapan Dasgupta is a senior political commentator and policy analyst based in New Delhi The above article was published in India Inc′s print edition of the India Investment Journal launched in June 2014 in conjunction with the India Inc Seminar: A new dawn for India - What does it mean for UK-India Business