<P> The Ministry of External Affairs was the first government department to have a mobile app for smartphones with the launch of MEAIndia on 29 July 2013 . by Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai . The app will help users apply for a passport, get visa information, and learn the location of Indian consulates worldwide . </P> <P> Diplomats from other countries such as Gabriela Mistral, Octavio Paz, Pablo Neruda, St John Perse, Ivo Andric, George Seferis have won distinctions such as the Nobel Prize in Literature . Prominent diplomats - turned - authors who started their careers with the Indian Foreign Service and Ministry of External Affairs include Vikas Swarup and Navtej Sarna . </P> <P> The office of the Ministry is located in the South Block building which also contains the Prime Minister's office and defence office . Other offices are located in Jawahar Lal Nehru Bhavan, Shastri Bhavan, Patiala House, and ISIL Building . </P>

Who become the first to head india external affairs ministry