New Delhi: Sushma Swaraj, the Minister of External Affairs (MEA) informed on Thursday about the merger of Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) 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 the 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.

Sushma Swaraj (born 14 February 1952) is an Indian politician, former lawyer and the current Minister of External Affairs of India who assumed office on 26 May 2014.

She has been elected seven times as a Member of Parliament and three times as a Member of the Legislative Assembly. At the age of 25 in 1977, she became the youngest cabinet minister of north Indian state of Haryana.

The MOIA, dedicated to the multitude of Indian nationals settled abroad, was established in May 2004 as the ministry of non-resident Indians' affairs. Besides dealing with all matters relating to Overseas Indians, the Ministry is engaged in several initiatives with OIs for the promotion of trade and investment, emigration, education, culture, health and science & technology.

Later, it was renamed the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs in September 2004.(IANS)