# Foreign Secretary (India)

The foreign secretary (ISO: Vidēś Saciv) is the top diplomat of India and the administrative head of the Ministry of External Affairs. This post is held by an Indian foreign service officer of the rank of secretary to the government of India. Vikram Misri is the foreign secretary since July 2024, succeeding Vinay Mohan Kwatra.
As an officer of the rank of secretary to the government of India, the foreign secretary ranks 23rd on the Indian Order of Precedence. However, unlike other secretaries to the government of India, the foreign secretary is also the top diplomat of the country and heads the Foreign Service Board.

## Powers, responsibilities and postings

The foreign secretary is the administrative head of the Ministry of External Affairs, and is the principal adviser to the minister of external affairs on all matters of policy and administration within the ministry.
The role of the foreign secretary is as follows:
* To act as the administrative head of the Ministry of External Affairs. The responsibility in this regard is complete and undivided.
* To act as the chief adviser to the minister of external affairs on all aspects of policy and administrative affairs.
* To represent the Ministry of External Affairs before the Public Accounts Committee of the Parliament of India.
* Recommends postings of officers under the Ministry of External Affairs of the rank of secretary, additional secretary and joint secretary to the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC).
* To act as the first among equals among the secretaries in the Ministry of External Affairs.

## Emolument, accommodation and perquisites

The foreign secretary is eligible for a diplomatic passport. The official earmarked residence of the union foreign secretary is 3, Circular Road, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi.

## List of foreign secretaries

| No. | Name | Took office | Left office | Minister of External Affairs |
| 1 | K. P. S. Menon Sr. | 16 April 1948 | 21 September 1952 | Jawaharlal Nehru |
| 2 | R. K. Nehru | 22 September 1952 | 10 October 1955 | Jawaharlal Nehru |
| 3 | Subimal Dutt | 11 October 1955 | 17 January 1961 | Jawaharlal Nehru |
| 4 | M. J. Desai | 11 April 1961 | 4 December 1963 | Jawaharlal Nehru |
| 5 | Y. D. Gundevia | 5 December 1963 | 18 February 1965 | Jawaharlal Nehru |
| 5 | Y. D. Gundevia | 5 December 1963 | 18 February 1965 | Gulzarilal Nanda |
| 5 | Y. D. Gundevia | 5 December 1963 | 18 February 1965 | Lal Bahadur Shastri |
| 5 | Y. D. Gundevia | 5 December 1963 | 18 February 1965 | Swaran Singh |
| 6 | C. S. Jha | 19 February 1965 | 13 August 1967 | Swaran Singh |
| 6 | C. S. Jha | 19 February 1965 | 13 August 1967 | M. C. Chagla |
| 7 | Rajeshwar Dayal | 19 August 1967 | 6 November 1968 | Indira Gandhi |
| 8 | T. N. Kaul | 7 November 1968 | 3 December 1972 | Indira Gandhi |
| 8 | T. N. Kaul | 7 November 1968 | 3 December 1972 | Dinesh Singh |
| 8 | T. N. Kaul | 7 November 1968 | 3 December 1972 | Swaran Singh |
| 9 | Kewal Singh | 4 December 1972 | 31 March 1976 | Swaran Singh |
| 9 | Kewal Singh | 4 December 1972 | 31 March 1976 | Yashwantrao Chavan |
| 10 | J. S. Mehta | 1 April 1976 | 18 November 1979 | Yashwantrao Chavan |
| 10 | J. S. Mehta | 1 April 1976 | 18 November 1979 | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| 11 | Ram Sathe | 19 November 1979 | 30 April 1982 | Shyam Nandan Prasad Mishra |
| 11 | Ram Sathe | 19 November 1979 | 30 April 1982 | P. V. Narasimha Rao |
| 12 | M. K. Rasgotra | 1 May 1982 | 31 January 1985 | P. V. Narasimha Rao |
| 12 | M. K. Rasgotra | 1 May 1982 | 31 January 1985 | Indira Gandhi |
| 12 | M. K. Rasgotra | 1 May 1982 | 31 January 1985 | Rajiv Gandhi |
| 13 | Romesh Bhandari | 1 February 1985 | 31 March 1986 | Rajiv Gandhi |
| 13 | Romesh Bhandari | 1 February 1985 | 31 March 1986 | Bali Ram Bhagat |
| 14 | A. P. Venkateswaran | 1 April 1986 | 20 January 1987 | Bali Ram Bhagat |
| 14 | A. P. Venkateswaran | 1 April 1986 | 20 January 1987 | P. Shiv Shankar |
| 14 | A. P. Venkateswaran | 1 April 1986 | 20 January 1987 | N. D. Tiwari |
| 15 | K. P. S. Menon Jr. | January 1987 | February 1989 | N. D. Tiwari |
| 16 | Shilendra Kumar Singh | 16 February 1989 | 19 April 1990 | P. V. Narasimha Rao |
| 16 | Shilendra Kumar Singh | 16 February 1989 | 19 April 1990 | Vishwanath Pratap Singh |
| 16 | Shilendra Kumar Singh | 16 February 1989 | 19 April 1990 | I. K. Gujral |
| 17 | Muchukund Dubey | 20 April 1990 | 30 November 1991 | I. K. Gujral |
| 18 | J. N. Dixit | 1 December 1991 | 31 January 1994 | Madhavsinh Solanki |
| 18 | J. N. Dixit | 1 December 1991 | 31 January 1994 | P. V. Narasimha Rao |
| 18 | J. N. Dixit | 1 December 1991 | 31 January 1994 | Dinesh Singh |
| 19 | Krishnan Srinivasan | 1 February 1994 | 28 February 1995 | Dinesh Singh |
| 19 | Krishnan Srinivasan | 1 February 1994 | 28 February 1995 | Pranab Mukherjee |
| 20 | Salman Haidar | 1 March 1995 | 30 June 1997 | Pranab Mukherjee |
| 20 | Salman Haidar | 1 March 1995 | 30 June 1997 | Sikander Bakht |
| 20 | Salman Haidar | 1 March 1995 | 30 June 1997 | I. K. Gujral |
| 21 | K. Raghunath | 1 July 1997 | 1 December 1999 | I. K. Gujral |
| 21 | K. Raghunath | 1 July 1997 | 1 December 1999 | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| 21 | K. Raghunath | 1 July 1997 | 1 December 1999 | Jaswant Singh |
| 22 | Lalit Mansingh | 1 December 1999 | 11 March 2001 | Jaswant Singh |
| 23 | Chokila Iyer | 12 March 2001 | 29 June 2002 | Jaswant Singh |
| 24 | Kanwal Sibal | 1 July 2002 | 30 November 2003 | Yashwant Sinha |
| 25 | Shashank | 19 November 2003 | 31 July 2004 | Yashwant Sinha |
| 25 | Shashank | 19 November 2003 | 31 July 2004 | Natwar Singh |
| 26 | Shyam Saran | 31 July 2004 | 1 September 2006 | Natwar Singh |
| 26 | Shyam Saran | 31 July 2004 | 1 September 2006 | Manmohan Singh |
| 27 | Shivshankar Menon | 1 September 2006 | 31 July 2009 | Manmohan Singh |
| 27 | Shivshankar Menon | 1 September 2006 | 31 July 2009 | Pranab Mukherjee |
| 27 | Shivshankar Menon | 1 September 2006 | 31 July 2009 | S. M. Krishna |
| 28 | Nirupama Rao | 31 July 2009 | 31 July 2011 | S. M. Krishna |
| 29 | Ranjan Mathai | 1 August 2011 | 1 August 2013 | S. M. Krishna |
| 29 | Ranjan Mathai | 1 August 2011 | 1 August 2013 | Salman Khurshid |
| 30 | Sujatha Singh | 1 August 2013 | 28 January 2015 | Salman Khurshid |
| 30 | Sujatha Singh | 1 August 2013 | 28 January 2015 | Sushma Swaraj |
| 31 | Subrahmanyam Jaishankar | 28 January 2015 | 28 January 2018 | Sushma Swaraj |
| 32 | Vijay Keshav Gokhale | 29 January 2018 | 28 January 2020 | Sushma Swaraj |
| 32 | Vijay Keshav Gokhale | 29 January 2018 | 28 January 2020 | Subrahmanyam Jaishankar |
| 33 | Harsh Vardhan Shringla | 29 January 2020 | 30 April 2022 | Subrahmanyam Jaishankar |
| 34 | Vinay Mohan Kwatra | 1 May 2022 | 14 July 2024 | Subrahmanyam Jaishankar |
| 35 | Vikram Misri | 15 July 2024 | Incumbent | Subrahmanyam Jaishankar |