External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar praised India's efforts to become the "voice of the global south" during a session on India's G20 Moment at the News18 Rising India Summit on March 29. He highlighted India's hard work in achieving the G20 presidency and bringing something new to the organisation.
According to the minister, India has helped the G20 return to its original mandate of global growth and development, and he hopes to have G20 leaders meet on this topic by September. The G20 presidency is a significant opportunity for India, and the country is making the most of it by contributing to global development and growth.
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Talking about India’s place in the world vis-a-vis the Russia-Ukraine war, Jaishankar said the war was unexpected and brought many changes.
“We did not expect something like this to happen. Many things have changed. Russia’s relations with the West and Europe have changed. Now, the world has become a much more difficult place. India is the voice of the global South. India has made a lot of effort to achieve this,” Jaishankar said.
He added that India has not taken sides, but is in an “independent position”. And when asked about how the Russia-Ukraine conflict has changed geopolitics, he said: “The West, definitely Europe, has changed. Russia's relationship with Europe has changed. Russia's relationship with Asia will consequently change.”
When asked questions regarding India’s increased intake of Russian oil, Jaishankar quipped he would reply the reason is “the market.” He added: "You will see an intensification in Russia's relationship with Asia as a whole; the India-Russia relationship has been one of the most steady relationships.”
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The News18’s 3rd edition of the Rising India Summit brings together decision-makers, leaders, and other orators to “unravel India’s potential”. The theme for this years is ‘Real Heroes’, under which common people will talk about their uncommon achievements that brought about a positive change in our country.
Earlier during the event, Union Minister Piyush Goyal spoke about the importance of leadership. He said, “Everyone has several heroes in his life. Following only one person’s ideology is not good. Today, I am working under PM Modi’s leadership. We learn a lot from him. PM Modi has been an inspiration to me. If I have to recognise one hero, then PM Modi stands out as Hero No 1 for me.”
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Road and National Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mansukh Mandaviya, and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan are expected to attend the ‘Rising India summit 2023’ on March 29.
Besides the top ministers, filmmaker Guneet Monga, whose documentary ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ recently bagged the Oscar, will be present at the summit. The subjects of the film, Bomman, and Bellie, are also likely to grace the event.
The event will honour 20 heroes who have created ground-breaking solutions that are making a difference at the grassroots level, launched social entrepreneurship projects that have the potential to change lives, started community-led initiatives that are bringing about positive change in a variety of ways, and displayed acts of bravery as well as the compassion that are helping to improve India.
The ‘Rising India summit 2023’, partnered with Poonawalla Fincorp, a Cyrus Poonawalla group promoted Non-banking financial company (NBFC), is a two-day event being held on March 29 and March 30.
