Govt gives caste-based figures of IFS officers

113 Scheduled Caste Indian Foreign Service Officers, 110 OBC and 56 Schedueld Tribe officers are deployed at the headquarters, missions and in posts abroad, government told the Rajya Sabha today.
Giving the figures in a written reply in the Upper House, Minister of State External Affairs V K Singh said the category-wise number is from among the 776 IFS officers including 497 from general category deployed there.
Responding to a question of RPI member Ramdas Athavale, the minister said that during the last three years, Ambassadors and High Commissioners belonging to Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes/Other Backward Classes were appointed in Azerbaijan, Brunei, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guyana, Iraq, Jamaica, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Maldives, Morocco, the Phillippines, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Yemen and Zambia.

"Also as on date, 47 Scheduled Castes, 41 Scheduled Tribes and 64 backward classes of IFS officers besides Ambassadors and High Commissioners are posted to various missions/posts abroad," Singh said.
The minister also said Ambassadors and High Commissioners are selected in keeping with the requirements in a particular diplomatic mission and their overall suitability including experience, seniority, regional and professional experience.