Updated: September 26, 2020 9:21:18 pm
Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually addressed the United Nations General Assembly (Photo DD / PTI)
Addressing the 193-member United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday raised questions about the world body’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic that has killed nearly a million people and infected. to more than 32 million worldwide.
The Prime Minister listed India’s priorities and its role on the world stage, assuring its cooperation in dealing with the pandemic. Highlighting India’s achievements and role in the United Nations’ 75 years, Modi called for reforms with “changing times” and the inclusion of India in the decision-making process within the world body.
Strong push for UN reforms
In his pre-recorded video statement for the landmark UNGA 75th session general debate, Prime Minister Modi asked how long India, the world’s largest democracy and home to 1.3 billion people, will be kept out of the structures. decision-making of the United Nations, affirming that reform in responses, processes and in the very character of the world body is the “need of the moment.”
“When we were strong, we were never a threat to the world, when we were weak, we never became a burden to the world,” he said.
The prime minister’s strong push for UN reforms and the long-overdue expansion of the powerful Security Council came when India took over as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council from January 2021 for a two-year period.
“How long will India be kept out of the decision-making structures of the United Nations? How long would a country have to wait, especially when the transformative changes taking place in that country affect a large part of the world? Modi asked.
“Today, the people of India are concerned about whether this reform process will ever reach its logical conclusion,” he said, adding that all Indians today, seeing India’s contribution to the world organization, aspire to an expanded role for India in the United Nations.
On the Covid pandemic and India’s cooperation in vaccine production
Questioning the United Nations response to deal with the pandemic, Prime Minister Modi assured the world community that India will use its production and distribution capacity to help all of humanity fight the virus.
“For the past 8 to 9 months, the whole world has been fighting the coronavirus pandemic. Where is the United Nations in this joint fight against the pandemic? Where is your effective response? “Modi said when affirming that the reform in the answers, in the processes and in the very character of the United Nations is the need of the moment.
PM Modi at UNGA: “In India and in our neighborhood, we are moving forward with phase 3 clinical trials in India.
India will also help all countries to improve their cold chain and storage capacities for vaccine delivery. “@IndianExpress– Shubhajit Roy (@ShubhajitRoy) September 26, 2020
In an assurance to the world community, Prime Minister Modi said that “even during these very difficult times of the pandemic, the Indian pharmaceutical industry has shipped essential medicines to more than 150 countries.”
“As the largest vaccine producing country in the world, I want to give one more assurance to the global community today. India’s vaccine production and distribution capacity will be used to help all of humanity fight this crisis, ”he said.
On fighting the pandemic with the Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign
Prime Minister Modi also spelled out his government’s ambitious AatmaNirbhar Bharat (Self-Sufficient) campaign, saying that a self-reliant India will be a “force multiplier” for the global economy.
“In the changing circumstances of the post-pandemic era, we are moving forward with the vision of a ‘self-sufficient India’,” he said, adding that “a self-sufficient India will also be a force multiplier for the global economy. “
To address the economic stress brought on by the pandemic, the Modi government had announced an AatmaNirbhar Bharat campaign of more than Rs 20 lakh crore to ease the economic impact of the virus and subsequent closures applied to contain its spread.
PM Modi: “In the changing circumstances of the post-pandemic era, we are moving forward with the vision of a ‘self-sufficient India’. A self-sufficient India will also be a force multiplier for the global economy. “@IndianExpress
– Shubhajit Roy (@ShubhajitRoy) September 26, 2020
“Following the mantra of ‘Reform-Realize-Transform’, India has made great efforts to bring about transformation in the lives of millions of its citizens,” he said.
“In just 4-5 years, India has incorporated more than 400 million people into the formal financial sector. In the same period, 600 million people were released from open defecation. This was no easy task. But India has shown that it can be done, ”he said.
The Prime Minister said that his government has ensured that there is no discrimination by extending the benefits of all schemes and initiatives to all citizens of the country. “In India, large-scale efforts are underway to promote women’s leadership and entrepreneurship. Indian women, today, are the biggest beneficiaries of the world’s largest microfinance scheme, ”she said, adding that India is one of those countries where women receive 26-week paid maternity leave.
On terrorism and friendships with neighbors
The Prime Minister said that a gesture of friendship by India towards a country is not directed against any third country. He also stressed that when India strengthens its development partnership with a country, it has no “bad intention” to make the partner country “dependent or hapless”.
He explained that from India’s ‘Neighborhood First Policy’ to views on the Indo-Pacific region, the country has always worked for the interests of humanity. “Any gesture of friendship by India towards a country is not directed against any third country. When India strengthens its partnership for development, it is not with the ill intention of making the partner country dependent or hapless, ”Modi emphasized.
PM Modi at UNGA: “Any gesture of friendship by India towards a country is not directed against any third country. When India strengthens its partnership for development, it is not with the ill intention of making the partner country dependent or hapless. “@IndianExpress
– Shubhajit Roy (@ShubhajitRoy) September 26, 2020
“We have never hesitated to share experiences from our development,” he said. In his virtual speech, Prime Minister Modi said that on October 2 India started the ‘International Day of Non-Violence’ and on June 21 the ‘International Day of Yoga’.
He further said: “India will always speak out in support of peace, security and prosperity. India will not hesitate to raise its voice against the enemies of humanity, the human race and human values, including terrorism, illegal arms smuggling, drugs and money laundering. “
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