Congress leader Anand Sharma resigns as chairman of party's foreign affairs department
The former Union minister led the department for around a decade as the National Committee of Department of Foreign Affairs was last constituted in 2018.
"As I have conveyed earlier both to CP and Chairperson CPP, in my considered view, the committee needs to be reconstituted to bring in younger leaders of potential and promise. That will ensure continuity in its functioning.
"Expressing my gratitude to the party leadership for having entrusted me with this responsibility, I am submitting my resignation as Chairman DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) to facilitate its reconstitution," Mr. Sharma said in his resignation letter addressed to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
Mr. Sharma, a member of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), the highest decision-making body in the party, has been the Congress's leading face on international affairs for almost four decades.
Mr. Sharma, however, continues to be a member of the Congress.
He has earlier played a crucial role in the negotiations of the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal, pitched for India-specific waivers at the Nuclear Suppliers Group and is also credited with institutionalising the India-Africa partnership in a structured manner and convening the first India-Africa summit.
He was also a member of the recent all-party parliamentary delegations that were sent abroad to put forth India's stance in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor. Sharma also articulated India's position to the world after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
During his tenure as the commerce minister, the first-ever WTO Agreement and comprehensive trade agreements were signed.
In his letter, Mr. Sharma said the DFA has, over the last few decades, been actively engaged in building and strengthening the Congress's relations with like-minded political parties across the world, which share the values of democracy, equality and human rights.
He said the Congress has built strong relations with major political parties in Asia, Africa, Middle East, Europe and Latin America. The foreign affairs department of the party has established an institutional mechanism for the exchange of leadership delegations with fraternal political parties and international organisations.
"I have had the privilege to have been proactively associated with all major international initiatives of the Congress since mid 1980s as IYC president. These included: NAM youth conference 1985 and the historic 'Anti Apartheid Conference' in 1987. These were universally acclaimed," Mr. Sharma said.
He also said the Congress successfully convened the historic Satyagraha centenary conference in January 2007 and an international conference on the 125th birth anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru in November 2014, which were attended by eminent world leaders. These conferences, chaired by then Congress president Sonia Gandhi, received worldwide acclaim.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
15 minutes ago
- Time of India
Lok Sabha passes Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill, 2025
The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2025, by a voice vote, despite ongoing protests from Opposition members over the Election Commission's revision of Bihar's electoral rolls. Union Minister for Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy , during the brief discussion, noted the Bill's importance for the mining sector and India's economic development, particularly in the context of critical and strategic minerals. The new legislation, which seeks to amend the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, introduces several key changes aimed at boosting mineral exploration and production in the country. A major provision is the expansion of the National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET) under which funds can be used for the exploration and development of mines and minerals both within India (including offshore areas) and outside the country. This move is seen as a strategic step to secure critical mineral assets abroad. The Bill also mandates an increase in the amount paid to the Trust by lessees. The payment will rise from the current 2 per cent of the royalty payable to 3 per cent. The trust will also be renamed as the National Mineral Exploration and Development Trust, reflecting its widened scope.
Economic Times
15 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Bills on sports will help sportsmen improve performance in sporting events globally: Mansukh Mandaviya
Synopsis Parliament has approved two new sports bills aimed at enhancing India's performance in global sporting events. Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya stated that the National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and The National Sports Governance Bill, 2025, seek to improve coordination between sports federations, athletes, and the government, addressing issues like 'legal paralysis' and lack of accountability. ANI Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya New Delhi: Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday said the two new bills on sports, approved by Parliament, will help sportsmen improve their performance in sporting events globally. The National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and The National Sports Governance Bill, 2025, were passed by the Rajya Sabha by voice vote. These bills were earlier approved by the Lok these bills, the minister said federations governing various sports were embroiled in legal matters, terming the situation as 'legal paralysis'.He noted that the situation impacts the performance of the sports governance bill is meant to improve coordination between sports federations, athletes and the government. The minister noted that despite a young population, the country lags behind when it comes to medal tallies in global sporting events."We aspire to be in the first five positions in terms of medals, and for that, good governance in the sports sector is necessary," Mandaviya were also made earlier to bring legislation for improvement in sports administrations, but such attempts did not succeed, he Rami Reddy of YSRCP said every state and district needs to come up with a strategy for the welfare of the athletes, so that they can bring laurels to the bill brings clarity to state and district affiliates, he Patel of NCP noted that the legislation brought by the government was laudable and for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Jayant Chaudhary said federations will now be devoid of politicians and would be run by athletes and people who know about sports governance bill has provisions for a National Sports Board (NSB) to create a stringent system of accountability. All National Sports Federations (NSFs) will have to attain NSB's recognition for access to central government will have the mandate to derecognise a national body that fails to hold elections for its Executive Committee or has committed "gross irregularities in the election procedures".Sudha Murty (Nominated) requested that, along with the Anti-Doping Bill, awareness camps should be organised particularly in rural areas, where our children are bright, as they are getting a lot of opportunities to rise through Khelo India, but not knowing that doping is a bad habit, they may end up somewhere Jhala (BJP) said former governments never paid attention to the development of sports in the country, owing to policy paralysis and a lack of Jashvantsinh Salamsinh (BJP) said the Bill is necessary because the existing National Sports Code of 2011 was only a set of guidelines, not a binding law, and many national sports federations ignored these Sathish Babu (TDP) said the landmark Bills will ensure fair governance and Gupta, BJP, noted that the Bill will ensure fair competition and lead to the emergence of true talent without any Kalita (BJP) pointed out that the government has prioritised sports and youth affairs with a boost in their fund allocation."As the country eyes the 2036 Olympics, its journey towards becoming a top ten sporting nation is firmly on track," he to the national sports governance bill, a failure to publish annual audited accounts or "misuse, misapplied or misappropriated public funds" would also be liable for action by NSB, but it would be required to consult the concerned global body before making its move. Another feature is the proposal for a National Sports Tribunal, which will have the powers of a civil court and decide disputes ranging from selection to election, involving federations and athletes. Once instituted, the Tribunal's decisions can only be challenged in the Supreme Court. The bill makes some concessions on the issue of age cap for administrators by allowing those in the bracket of 70 to 75 to contest elections if the concerned international bodies' statutes and bylaws allow for it. It is a departure from the national sports code that capped the age limit at National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill-2025 seeks to incorporate the changes sought by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which objected to "government interference" in the functioning of the country's Anti-Doping Agency (NADA). The act was originally passed in 2022, but its implementation had to be put on hold due to objections raised by WADA.
The Hindu
15 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Channel CSR funds for rural education and skill development, Lanka Dinakar urges Union Education Minister
Lanka Dinakar, Chairman of the Twenty Points Programme Implementation Committee, Government of Andhra Pradesh, has urged Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to frame clear guidelines for directing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds towards upgrading educational infrastructure and promoting skill development for the underprivileged. In a letter personally handed over to the Minister in New Delhi on Tuesday, Mr. Dinakar referred to recent remarks by RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat advocating the use of CSR resources for affordable healthcare and quality education. He noted that while the Centre has made significant strides through flagship schemes such as PM SHRI Schools and the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, there remains vast untapped potential to utilise CSR funding, especially in rural and aspirational districts, to bridge gaps in educational access and quality. Mr. Dinakar suggested that CSR support could help modernise classrooms and school infrastructure, enhance access to digital learning tools, improve internet connectivity in remote areas, establish vocational training centres for employable skills, and provide scholarships to meritorious students from disadvantaged backgrounds. He also stressed that such initiatives should be in line with the National Education Policy (NEP), blending moral and cultural values with technological advancement, and promoting the principles of Sanatana Dharma alongside innovation-driven education.
