New Delhi, March 17 -- The Parliamentary Committee on External Affairs, headed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, on Tuesday presented its Twelfth Report on the Demands for Grants of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) for 2026-27 in the Lok Sabha, making 62 recommendations across eight chapters.

The panel, in its report, strongly reiterated its call for a 20 per cent increase in MEA's budget, noting that the allocation of Rs 22,118.97 crore represents only a 7.81 per cent rise over the previous year and constitutes just 0.41 per cent of the Union Budget, far below levels comparable with major global economies.

"The Committee noted that MEA currently ranks 23rd among all Ministries in terms of budgetary allocation. Pursuant to the Commit...