Para 39 — CSMOP
Original Rule Text
# 39. Correspondence with Foreign Governments and International Organizations –
Correspondence with Foreign Governments and their Missions in India, Heads of Indian Diplomatic Missions and posts abroad and United Nations and its specialized agencies shall normally be through the Ministry of External Affairs. Exceptions to this may be made only as per the instructions issued by the Ministry of External Affairs in this regard from time to time.
What This Means
Para 39 establishes a clear channel rule: any correspondence your Ministry or Department needs to send to a foreign government, their embassy or high commission in India, Indian diplomatic missions abroad, or the United Nations and its agencies must ordinarily go through the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). You cannot write directly to a foreign government without MEA's involvement.
This rule exists because India's foreign policy is centrally managed. If every Ministry contacted foreign governments directly, it could create contradictory signals or diplomatic complications. MEA acts as the single authorised gateway to ensure coherent and consistent external communication.
Exceptions are permitted, but only when the MEA itself has issued specific instructions allowing certain types of direct correspondence. If your Department believes a direct channel is needed, you must find and cite the relevant MEA instructions authorising it — you cannot decide the exception on your own.
This explanation was generated with AI assistance for educational purposes. Always refer to the official gazette notification for authoritative text.
Key Points
- 1All correspondence with foreign governments, their missions in India, Indian missions abroad, and UN bodies must normally route through MEA.
- 2This rule applies to all Ministries and Departments of the Central Government.
- 3Direct communication with foreign entities is not permitted without MEA authorisation.
- 4Exceptions exist only where MEA has issued specific written instructions permitting direct correspondence.
- 5The rule prevents diplomatic inconsistency caused by multiple Ministries sending conflicting signals to foreign parties.
- 6Section Officers must ensure any draft involving foreign correspondence is flagged for MEA routing before dispatch.
Practical Example
The Ministry of Agriculture wants to write to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations requesting technical assistance for a pest-control programme. The Section Officer in the Agriculture Ministry cannot directly despatch this letter to FAO. Instead, the dealing hand prepares a draft, the file is moved up the hierarchy for approval, and once approved, it is sent to MEA with a covering note. MEA then forwards it to FAO through the appropriate diplomatic channel.
If Agriculture has a standing arrangement — for example, MEA has issued an OM allowing direct technical correspondence with FAO on specific agricultural subjects — the Section Officer must attach a copy of that MEA instruction to the file before the Branch Officer approves direct despatch.
This explanation was generated with AI assistance for educational purposes. Always refer to the official gazette notification for authoritative text.
Frequently Asked Questions
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This explanation was generated with AI assistance for educational purposes. Always refer to the official gazette notification for authoritative text.