JOIN USPM to focus on economic diplomacy at envoys' meet
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will ask India’s envoys abroad to focus on economic diplomacy to help the government woo investors and turn the “Make in India” campaign into a success.
As all the Heads of India’s diplomatic missions around the world are set to assemble in a conclave here next week, Modi is likely to utilise the opportunity to brief them about his government’s foreign policy priority and immediate focus on restoring confidence of foreign investors and augment foreign capital inflow to spur growth in manufacturing.
This is the first Heads of Mission conference the Ministry of External Affairs is holding after the change of regime in New Delhi.
Apart from the prime minister himself, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister of State (Independent Charge) Nirmala Sitharaman are expected to address the high commissioners and ambassadors who represent New Delhi around the world.
Ajit Doval, National Security Advisor to the prime minister and the Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar are also expected to address the envoys during the conclave.
While the recent unceremonious removal of Sujatha Singh from the office of the Foreign Secretary is unlikely to be formally discussed during the conclave, sources told Deccan Herald that the prime minister would try to drive home the point that the performance of the diplomats posted abroad would be assessed on the basis of their success in contributing to the economic agenda of his government.
Sources said the prime minister may ask the diplomats to extensively canvass his government’s recent endeavours — like, ordinances promulgated to ease and fast-track land acquisition, raising limit of foreign capital in insurance sector from 26% to 49% and making it mandatory to auction coal blocks — to make it easier for foreign companies to invest in India.