Kerala Appoints ‘Vasuki’ As Foreign Secretary But A State Doesn’t Appoint Foreign Secretary

In an unusual move, the Kerala state government has assigned a senior IAS officer to handle “matters concerning external cooperation,”.
On July 15, the government announced that K. Vasuki, the secretary for labor and skills, will also take on the additional responsibility of dealing with external cooperation matters.
However, state has no business in appointing foreign secretary. This could be noted as an disobediance of the Indian constitution.

Who appoints the foreign secretary?

Ministry of external affairs appoints the foreign secretary of India. Currently, the designation is taken by Shri Vikram Misri assumed charge as Foreign Secretary on 15 July 2024.

The officer will be responsible for overseeing all matters related to external cooperation, along with their current duties. According to the order, the General Administration (Political) Department will handle issues related to external cooperation and will support K. Vasuki until alternative arrangements are made. The Resident Commissioner of Kerala House in New Delhi has been asked to help Vasuki with external cooperation matters and to coordinate with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi and Indian embassies and missions abroad.

Although there might be someone informally assigned to liaise with the MEA for issues involving Keralites abroad, this is usually handled by the secretary in charge of Norka or an officer ranked as secretary to the chief minister. It is unusual for states to deal directly with Indian embassies and missions without going through the MEA, as this goes against established protocols.

A senior officer noted that assigning a secretary to handle ‘external cooperation’ is not legally allowed under the state’s rules of business. The government seems to have given the task of supporting the secretary to the General Administration (Political) Department.

Former cabinet secretary K. M. Chandrasekhar raised concerns about the new appointment. He pointed out that international relations are typically managed by the central government. If any state department needs help from abroad, it should contact the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) or the Indian embassy. He suggested that the government should explain what extra responsibilities this new officer will have beyond those already handled by department secretaries.

In 2021, the LDF government had appointed former IFS officer Venu Rajamony as an officer on special duty in New Delhi with the rank of chief secretary. His role was to work with the MEA, Indian and foreign diplomatic missions, and explore collaboration opportunities in areas like education, culture, finance, and investments. This appointment was seen as a political move to leverage Rajamony’s connections with the MEA and Indian embassies, providing logistical support for political visits abroad. The chief minister, along with family and cabinet members, traveled to various countries including the US, UK, Netherlands, Switzerland, UAE, Bahrain, Japan, and South Korea during this period.