We need a think-tank with own mind, says Natwar

Dissatisfied with the current stream of strategy think tanks, External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh now plans to float a new body to provid...

Dissatisfied with the current stream of strategy think tanks, External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh now plans to float a new body to provide key inputs for shaping India’s foreign policy.

‘‘What we require is an independent body equipped to make up its own mind on the complex external issues that come before government. This body must be capable of anticipating problems, and be composed of individuals who command the respect to ensure that their views do not go unheard at the highest policy levels,’’ writes Singh in his proposal.

He plans to house a group of ‘‘independent specialists’’ from different walks of life in the proposed Sardar Swaran Singh Institute of Diplomacy, who would provide a continuous overview of the diplomatic challenges, specially economic, before the country.

The institute, to be located in New Delhi, would be named after late Sardar Swaran Singh, foreign minister under India’s first PM. Cabinet ministers associated with diplomacy are likely to be on the board of directors of the Institute.

The body is planned to be entirely autonomous with funds sourced from Central and state governments and corporate bodies in a mix that would underline its independence. The rationale for creating yet another institution, besides Indian Centre for World Affairs and Indian Foreign Institute, lies in the insufficiency of the existing ones to meet this challenge, said Singh.