IFS cadre strength at 954; 200 SC/ST and 263 women diplomats
NEW DELHI: The External Affairs Ministry on Friday informed Parliament that the total strength of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) stood at 954 officers as of December 1, 2025, with significant representation from SC/ST, OBC and women cadres. In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said the IFS currently includes 200 SC/ST officers, 217 OBC officers and 263 women officers. He added that the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) does not maintain separate data on officers from minority communities. Responding to a query on representation at senior diplomatic posts, Singh said 26 Ambassadors, High Commissioners or Permanent Representatives (PRs) belong to SC/ST categories, while 25 officers posted abroad in these top roles are from the OBC category. Currently, there are 11 women officers serving as Ambassadors, High Commissioners or Permanent Representatives, he said. The MEA was also asked to provide the total number of IFS officers from SC/ST, OBC, minority and women categories, along with their distribution across senior roles in the ministry. Singh tabled figures covering postings at the Director, Joint Secretary, Additional Secretary and Secretary levels, underscoring the governments emphasis on social and gender representation within Indias diplomatic corps.
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