By Shankar Raj*
Thiruvananthapuram: A day after reports appeared that Kerala had appointed a ‘foreign secretary,’ the State government has given an assurance that it will keep off diplomatic turf which falls under the Union Government’s Constitutional terrain.
Taking a jibe on such an explanation, an official, on conditions of anonymity quipped, “The present post looks more like a hospitality office that takes care of travel and stay of delegates from abroad”.
Chief Secretary V Venu clarified that “many foreign agencies, multilateral agencies, institutions working in embassies of foreign countries and delegations are in regular contact with the Kerala state government as well as other state governments. Through these transactions, cooperative relations are established in commercial, industrial and cultural fields.
Also read: Kerala appoints its own “Foreign Secretary”
“When the chief minister or ministers of the state go abroad, as a result of the discussions held there, many representatives visit Kerala for further discussions. In earlier years these were seen as the responsibility of separate departments. When the number of discussions like this increased, it was seen that much better coordination was needed. A division called external cooperation is a system created some time ago for that purpose,” said the chief secretary.
The Chief Secretary also clarified that the appointment of Secretary (Labour and Skills) K Vasuki to look after ‘interests in countries abroad was not a move “to enter into diplomatic relations with foreign countries or to interfere in matters that fall under the jurisdiction of the central government, but as part of an effort to establish new relations for the development of the state.”
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister’s Office also issued a clarification that it was not the first time the government had put an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer on special duty on the job.
Industries Department Principal Secretary Suman Billa was given the additional charge of the matters connected with external cooperation in 2023. Before Billa, Venu Rajamony, a retired Indian Foreign Service(IFS) officer held the post, the CMO said.
However, experts say that the clarifications are weak and there is no need for such a post when the Union Ministry of External Affairs is mandated to take care of the interests of states abroad.
*Shankar Raj is a former editor of The New Indian Express, Karnataka and Kerala, and writes regularly on current affairs.
