Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Thursday said the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) will be merged with her ministry.
She said her merger proposal was accepted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"As minister for external affairs and overseas Indian affairs, I realised that substantial work of MOIA is done through our missions abroad," she said in a tweet.
"Therefore, I proposed to Hon'ble prime minister that MOIA should be merged with the ministry of external affairs," she added.
"The prime minister has kindly accepted my proposal. So the MOIA will now be part of the ministry of external affairs," the minister announced.
The MOIA, dedicated to the multitude of Indian nationals settled abroad, was established in May 2004 as the ministry of non-resident Indians' affairs. Later, it was renamed the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs in September 2004.
