A delegation headed by Ms. Heather Variava (Second from Left), meeting with E. Saravanapavan, M.P.(Far Left), in Jaffna, Sri Lanka.
After six years of trying, Congress allocated the funds to create an independent Bureau of South Asian Affairs in 1991.[2] Pursuant to the Foreign Relations Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 1992 and 1993,[3] the Bureau of South Asian Affairs was established on August 24, 1992, after having been a part of the Bureau of Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs since 1958.[4] In February 2006 the bureau absorbed the Office of Central Asian Affairs from the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs.
Organization
The offices of the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs direct, coordinate, and supervise U.S. government activities within the region, including political, economic, consular, public diplomacy, and administrative management issues.[5][6]
Organizational chart of the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs as of 2014
SCA Front Office – The office of the Assistant Secretary and other principals in the bureau
Office of India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Maldives Affairs – Informs policy and coordinates with U.S. Missions in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and the Maldives
^Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State [1].
^U.S. Congress. Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1992 and 1993. The Library of Congress, 1992, Sec. 122. [2][permanent dead link]
^Crossette, Barbara. "Congress Is Impatient for South Asia Bureau". New York Times, December 26, 1991. [3].
^"State Department Student Internship Brochure" (PDF). U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Human Resources. September 2014. Retrieved December 10, 2015.