Noting that India’s presence is becoming stronger in the global arena, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, March 28, in a seminal speech, said what could be regarded as a major shift of emphasis from an earlier policy of “equi-distance” to one of “equi-closeness”.
In the course of speaking at the TV9 Summit, PM Modi spelt out his vision and approach to foreign policy, something that has been especially impacting the approach to the major powers like Russia and the United States.
He said that the world’s eyes are on India and people there are filled with a new curiosity about the country. To distance his approach from previous foreign policy aims, Modi indicated that the aim had been to keep a distance from major power blocs, and that needed to change.
“Today India has the largest youth population in the world. These youth are becoming skilled rapidly and is accelerating innovation. Amidst all this, the mantra of India’s foreign policy has become India First. At one time, India had a policy of… maintaining equal distance from everyone, the policy of equi-distance. The policy of today’s India is… be equally close to everyone, the policy of equi-closeness,” PM Modi said.
He said under India’s G20 presidency, the African Union became a permanent member of the grouping.
“Today, India is emerging as a powerful voice for the Global South nations in global decision-making institutions. Initiatives like International Yoga Day, the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine, and efforts across various sectors highlight India’s growing influence in the new world order. This is just the beginning, and on the global platform,
India’s presence is becoming stronger than ever,” PM Modi said.
He said India became the fifth largest economy from the 11th largest in just seven to eight years
“Today the world’s eyes are on India, on our country. Wherever you go in the world, people there are filled with a new curiosity about India. What happened that a country which became the 11th largest economy in 70 years became the 5th largest economy in just 7-8 years?” he said.
PM Modi also referred to India’s GDP doubling in ten years.
“New figures from the IMF have come out, these figures say that India is the only major economy in the world that has doubled its GDP in 10 years. In the last decade, India has added UDS two lakh crore to its economy,” he said, adding that 25 crore people have come out of poverty and are part of “neo-middle class”.
PM Modi said the world must unite to address global challenges, one of which is the issue of energy resources.
Among some of the initiatives, PM Modi referred to solar energy. “To tackle this, we established the International Solar Alliance, ensuring that even smaller nations can benefit from sustainable energy. This initiative will have a positive impact on climate change and help secure the needs of countries in the Global South. I’m pleased to share that over 100 countries have already engaged with this effort,” he said.
