DIPLOMACY

MEA to put positive spin on foreign policy by reaching out to kids

MEA Sameep A diplomat from the Indian Embassy in Germany interacting with schoolchildren in Vikaspuri, Delhi, as part of SAMEEP | Twitter handle of the Indian Embassy in Germany

It is time for a positive spin on foreign policy. The ministry of external affairs has been on a mission to tell since this year. Definitely not a tell-all, but the ministry has decided to go out in the old-fashioned way to spread the messages of their successes. Titled SAMEEP, this outreach initiative is targeted at schoolchildren.

Replying to a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for External affairs retired general V.K Singh said, “The objective is to familiarise school and college students with the role and functions of MEA, key elements of India’s foreign policy and success stories and achievements on the foreign policy front.”

The initiative is undertaken with the help of officers of MEA and involves their visit to schools and colleges in their hometowns/states during leave and is voluntary in nature, the statement read.

Four programmes have already been organised in Jalandhar, Delhi, Trichy and Sonepat. And according to Singh, there are many more in the pipeline.

While the MEA has been active on social media—Twitter being the favourite means of communication—the timing of the mission to spread the message does seem geared towards a more tangible end than just spreading awareness.

And the 'E word' (elections) seems to loom. The ministry has been making similar overtures to the regional media. Another initiative was launched on March 22, Videsh Aaya Pradesh ke Dwaar, in Hyderabad to communicate “foreign policy priorities in simple terms and highlight the benefits accruing to the common people” and bring foreign policy closer to people.

The ministry will probably need many such sessions to find a way to spin External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's declaration of the deaths of 39 Indians in Mosul. Iraq, on the floor of Parliament—a move that has been severely criticised, rather than reaching out to the families—into a win.