The Foreign Ministry of India

Minister of Foreign Affairs

Mrs. Sushma Swaraj is the Minister of External Affairs of India. She was born on 14 February 1952. 

She has been elected seven times as a Member of Parliament and three times as a Member of the Legislative Assembly.

She is a Lawyer by profession. She has obtained her degree in Law from the Department of Laws, Punjab University, Chandigarh. Her alma mater Punjab University has honoured her with the degree of Doctor of Laws (Honoris causa).

Political Career:

Mrs. Sushma Swaraj became a member of the Haryana State Legislative Assembly and a Cabinet Minister in Haryana at the age of 25 in 1977. She became the President of Janata Party in Haryana in 1979 when she was 27.

Mrs. Sushma Swaraj has held following positions during her political career:

• Cabinet Minister in Haryana for Labour & Employment, Housing + 6 other portfolios in first term;
• Cabinet Minister in Haryana for Education in Second term;
• Chief Minister of Delhi for a brief term;
• Minister for Information and Broadcasting in the Union Cabinet;
• Minister of Telecommunications in the Union Cabinet;
• Minister of Health & Family Welfare in the Union Cabinet;
• Minister for Parliamentary Affairs in the Union Cabinet;
• Chairperson, Standing Committee on Home Affairs;
• Chairperson, Standing Committee on External Affairs;
• Leader of Opposition, Lok Sabha;
• Minister for External Affairs in the Union Cabinet since May, 2014.

She was honoured with the "Outstanding Parliamentarian Award” in 2004. She is India’s first woman MP honoured with this award.

Mrs. Sushma Swaraj is married to Mr. Swaraj Kaushal, a designated senior advocate of Supreme Court of India who served as Governor of Mizoram from 1990 to 1993. Mr. Swaraj Kaushal was also a Member of Parliament from 1998 to 2004. They have a daughter, Bansuri, who is an alumnus of The University of Oxford and a Barrister at Law from The Hon’ble Inn of Inner Temple.