Media Center

QUESTION NO.377 INTERNS EMPANELLED UNDER THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

April 07, 2022

RAJYA SABHA
STARRED QUESTION NO.*377
TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.04.2022

INTERNS EMPANELLED UNDER THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

*377. DR. VINAY P. SAHASRABUDDHE:

Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

(a) the total number of interns who have worked in the Ministry and its Departments over the last five years, year-wise details thereof;

(b) the assignments and activities that were assigned to these interns and the manner in which their performance was assessed, the details thereof; and

(c) whether the Ministry has a practice of publishing the works of these interns, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
(DR. SUBRAHMANYAM JAISHANKAR)

(a) to (c) The statement is laid on the table of the House. STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (c) OF THE RAJYA SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO *377 REGARDING "INTERNS EMPANELLED UNDER THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS” TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.04.2022.

The Ministry of External Affairs has been engaging interns for a decade, reflecting an intent to expand the foreign policy discourse in the country and tap into talent beyond the Government. The effective use of open source information that internships involve is a widespread practice now in foreign policy formulation.

2. The Ministry began implementing an Internship programme since August 2011. Based on the initial experience, an Internship Policy was formulated in 2016. All internships offered by the Ministry and its Missions and Posts abroad for the period 2016 -2020 were guided by this policy and were non- remunerative. A second comprehensive review was undertaken in 2021 with a view to ensure a more diverse and inclusive participation in internships. Accordingly, the Ministry published the Internship Policy 2021 in March 2021. The application and selection process was made fully online and logistical and basic costs for the interns was provided by the Government. A pilot programme was conducted to test the efficacy of the new policy. In January 2022, based on further improvements, the MEA Internship Policy 2022 was published that offers 75 internships for a period of 1-3 months.

3. A total of 429 interns have worked in the Ministry over the last five years. Year-wise details are as follows:

Year

Number of Interns at Headquarters

Number of interns at Missions/Posts abroad

Total

2017

110

8

118

2018

152

14

166

2019

64

12

76

2020

27

13

40

2021

19

10

29

Total

372

57

429

4. Each intern worked under the guidance of Heads of specific territorial/specialized Divisions or the Heads of Missions/Posts to produce papers on predetermined and mutually agreed assignments and activities. Their performance and output were assessed by the concerned Head of Division / Head of Mission/Post for satisfactory completion of the tasks assigned to them.

5. The output of the interns working in the Ministry is used within the Ministry as a resource. It is not intended for publication purposes but as an open source analysis of relevant domains that contribute to the larger process of policy formulation.

Write a Comment Write a Comment
Comments

Post A Comment

  • Name *
    E-mail *
  • Write Your Comment *
  • Verification Code * Verification Code