“The women I admire most—those who have looked to themselves and the limitations and adversities that come with our bodies and the expectations that come with them—have all found ways to transform their anger into meaningful change. In them, anger has moved from debilitation to liberation.” – Soraya Chemaly, Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women’s Anger
Sneha Dubey, the first in her family to serve as a civil servant, is an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer with the Ministry of External Affairs, India. Dubey holds the post of Third Secretary at the Embassy of India, Madrid, Spain.
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Table of Contents
Who is Sneha Dubey?
In September 2021, Sneha served as the First Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs in the United Nations General Assembly and became instantly famous for her thought-provoking and level-headed response to Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan for misrepresenting factual information about J&K for political propaganda at the UNGA.
Early Childhood and Family:
Sneha Dubey attended primary, secondary, and higher secondary school in Goa. She studied at Manovikas School, Margao. She is the only daughter of a father who is an employee of a multinational company and a mother who is a teacher. Sneha has a brother who runs a business.
Sneha laid waste to sayings such as the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. The only one in her family to pursue Civil Service as a career and jump through all of its hoops such as the UPSC exams, clearing them in her first attempt took sheer grit and willpower. This apple fell far and outside of her family tree.
Ever since she was 12 years old, Sneha knew she wanted to be an IFS officer. The opportunities open to an IFS officer such as to travel to foreign countries, to learn about international affairs, discovering new cultures, the privilege of representing one’s country on an international platform, being a part of important policy decision-making processes, and counseling people inspired young Sneha to go all in.
In an interview in 2012, Sneha mentions she did not have a backup plan for if she failed the UPSC exams. She says a teacher in her journey towards attempting the UPSC inspired her by telling his students’ stories of ancient warriors who would burn their boats on reaching foreign lands they intended to conquer. So that the warriors would fight wholeheartedly because there was no turning back. Sneha did everything and conquered her dreams of becoming an IFS officer.
“I knew what I wanted and tried to work accordingly.” – Sneha Dubey
Personal Details:
| Full Name | Sneha Dubey |
| Known as | Young Diplomat |
| Date of Birth | Unknown |
| Age (As of 2021) | 32 |
| Hometown | Goa, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Profession | IFS Officer; Civil Servant |
| Weight | 58 Kg |
| Height | 5’ 5” / 165cm |
| Net Worth | Unknown |
| Marital status | Unknown |
| Political Party | Unknown |
| Marriage Date | Unknown |
| Education | Manovikas School, Margao, Goa, IndiaBachelor’s, Fergusson College, Pune, IndiaM.A. in Geography and M. Phil in Geopolitics, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, India |
In an interview given to Chanakya IAS Academy, Sneha Dubey mentioned, “The idea of joining the Indian Foreign Service has always inspired me. My interest in Global affairs nudged me to pursue the study of International Affairs”
Sneha Dubey’s Family:
| Father | Multinational company employee, name unknown |
| Mother | School Teacher, name unknown |
| Husband | Unknown |
| Children | Unknown |
| Brother | Business owner; name unknown |
Education:
Sneha finished her schooling in Manovikas School, Margao, Goa. According to Monovikas’ founder-director Therese Almeida, Dubey topped her matriculation batch in 2003. Almeida recalls Dubey as a friendly and confident girl.
According to Principal Srabonee Thakar, Dubey “had a clarity of thought right from a young age and you could tell she was well-read and well informed”.
After her stint in Manovikas School, Sneha Dubey moved to Pune and graduated from Fergusson College, Pune. From 2008 to 2012, Sneha, in her pursuit to become an IFS officer, studied at the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University and finished her M.A. in Geography and M. Phil in Geopolitics from the School of International Studies, JNU.
Career:
Civil Service aspirants in India consider it quite a challenge and a matter of honor to clear the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam in a first attempt. But that is what Sneha Dubey, the young dynamo, achieved in 2011. Sneha Dubey’s All India Rank (AIR) was 112 in 2011.
What is the Role of an IFS officer?
An IFS officer, or more commonly known as a career diplomat, is expected to work in tandem with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). An IFS officer is duty-bound to look out for India’s interest, both in-house and abroad.
This includes bilateral political and economic cooperation, positive cultural interaction and, being a spokesperson for multidimensional issues.
Sneha Dubey’s first appointment as an IFS officer was with the Ministry of External Affairs as a trainee officer. In 2013, she served as Undersecretary for Latin America (T) and the Caribbean.
Her next sojourn with the Ministry of External Affairs took her to Madrid, Spain as Third Secretary at the Embassy of India. In September 2021 Sneha served as First Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs at the UNGA.
Some of the key responsibilities of an IFS officer are:
- Represent India in its embassies.
- Represent India at multilateral organizations like the UN.
- Promoting India’s interests in the country where the Ministry of External Affairs has posted the officer.
- Reporting on instances in foreign countries that may affect India’s relation with foreign countries.
- Providing counselor support to foreigners and Indian nationals abroad.
IFS Officer, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) ranks in Foreign Country:
- Third Secretary
- Second Secretary
- First Secretary
- Counselor
- Minister
- Ambassador
In September 2021, Sneha Dubey, First Secretary, MEA gave such a stunning response to Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan’s deliberate misleading statements about the Kashmir issue at the UNGA that Netizens have fallen in love with this young and dynamic diplomat. Here are some snippets from Sneha Dubey’s viral speech at the UNGA.
“While such statements deserve our collective contempt, I am taking the floor to set the record straight. Regrettably, this is not the first time that the leader of Pakistan has misused platforms provided by the UN to propagate false and malicious propaganda against my country and seeking in vain to divert attention from the sad state of his country where terrorists enjoy a free pass while the lives of ordinary people especially those belonging to the minority communities are turned upside down”.
“We keep hearing that Pakistan is a victim of terrorism. This is the country which is an arsonist disguising itself as a firefighter,”
“Pakistan nurtures terrorists in their backyard in the hope that they will only harm their neighbors.”
Sneha Dubey has been rightfully applauded by the nation and Indians across the world. She deserves praise for her calm and thorough response to a country leader at an International Assembly full of foreign dignitaries, and all of her achievements at such a young age.
After she displayed poise and thoughtfulness in defense of her nation at the UNGA, Sneha Dubey’s name will imprint itself on the minds and hearts of every young UPSC aspirant.
FAQs:
Sneha Dubey is an IFS Officer with the Ministry of Exchange. She is the Third Secretary at the Embassy of India in Madrid, Spain. She represented India, Ministry of External Affairs as First Secretary at the United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) in September 2021.
32 years old (estimated based on information present about her career and educational background).
Sneha Dubey’s UPSC AIR rank/IFS rank was 112.
Sneha Dubey cleared her UPSC exam on the first attempt.
Sneha finished her graduation from Fergusson College, Pune. She later went on to pursue M.A. in Geography and an M. Phil in Geopolitics from the School of International Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi.
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