Ministry of External Affairs criticized Kerala government’s order appointing a Secretary in charge of External Cooperation, stating that State Governments should not intrude into matters that are beyond their constitutional jurisdiction.

Constitutional provisions regarding External Affairs

• Seventh Schedule: “Foreign affairs; all matters which bring the Union into relation with any foreign country” is listed as item 10 under Union List.
• Article 253: Parliament has power to make any law for implementing any treaty with any other country or any decision made at any international conference, etc.
• Article 293: Places territorial limits on borrowing power of the states, i.e., states non-access to foreign loans.

State’s Interests in External Affairs

• Economic interests: Attracting FDI and promotion of trade. E.g., Investor Summits of states like Vibrant Gujarat, etc.
• Resource sharing: e.g., opposition by West Bengal to a potential Teesta River Treaty between India and Bangladesh.
• Cultural and diaspora connections: States with large diaspora populations abroad, like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Punjab, have interests in maintaining connections and facilitating remittances.
• Others: State’s like Goa have interests in issues like Visa regulations for promotion of tourism, trans-boundary movement and national security in states and UTs like Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, etc.