India's more globally engaged today: PM

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The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, deplored the postures of political parties that were "based in the past and out of line with India's current interests as an increasingly globalised integrated economy" when India is "destined to be more globally engaged".

Delivering the keynote address on a two-day conference on India and the Global Economy organised by the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) to mark the silver jubilee of the economic think-thank, the Prime Minister said India's energy security was closely intertwined with "our political relations with a wide range of countries around the globe". He said India's food security, technological security and national security were all closely linked to developments around the world.

However, Dr Singh felt that there was "inadequate recognition at home abut the increasing interdependence between India and the world and the consequences thereof for our domestic policies".

Dr Singh voiced his "disappointment by the lack of adequate appreciation including among political leaders of the changing nature of our relationship with the world and with the region around us". Hence he urged think-tanks like ICRIER to invest in informing and shaping public opinion and policymaking in this regard.

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