New Delhi:
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said the perception of people living abroad had changed after seeing how India handled the COVID-19 pandemic and the country's moon mission 'Chandrayaan-3' had a huge impact on Indians living abroad.
Addressing an event at Kirori Mal College in Delhi today, Mr Jaishankar noted that decisions taken at home are closely watched by the world.
“We are the greatest country in the world. We are the fifth largest economy, soon we will be the third. How we are doing at home is being watched by everyone abroad. What decisions we make in our own country are also very closely monitored by the So if we are going to determine our future in any way in the coming weeks, it will not just be a discussion among ourselves. It is a conversation or a discussion that the other six billion people are also attuned to are all aspects of why Bharat matters,” he said.
The Foreign Secretary said that people around the world are fascinated by India's technological achievements. He termed the Chandrayaan-3 mission and COVID management as one of the most impactful things India has done in the last decade.
He said: “Probably more fascinating to the world are the technological feats we are doing. I would say going to the moon is probably the most impactful thing we've done in the last decade, other than managing COVID-19. -3 mission has had a huge impact on the perception of Indians abroad. And finally, as I said, a lot of it is about a country being able to stand up for itself, its interests and its citizens, and being able to withstand pressure. , and in a way radiates its personality and culture.”
Speaking about India's current global image, Mr. Jaishankar said the perception of India changed after the way India handled the COVID challenge. He noted that India started as a country of “great concern” and ended up as the “source of greatest support.”
He said: “As someone who travels a lot, I want to share with you what our global image is today. When we say why Bharat matters, ultimately countries matter because there is a perception, there is a branding that has been created. From my own travel experiences, I have come up with six or seven key points today. When any of you go abroad or meet someone from abroad, these are their perceptions of India.
“First, the dominant one, I would say, is that this was a country that met the COVID challenge exceptionally well. It started as the country of greatest concern. It ended up being the source of the greatest support. And not only was it about COVID, but they made the right decisions that allowed us to become the fastest growing economy, the largest economy in the world today. Remember, many countries today have still not recovered from the COVID-19 strongly shaped by the shock and damage they suffered during COVID,” Jaishankar said.
He also talked about how India brings its people back home when there is a war or other emergency in another country. He narrated how Indian students were brought back to India during Operation Ganga. Jaishankar noted that many countries were asking their citizens whether they should return to their countries on their own.
Jaishankar said, “The second is how we secure our citizens of India. Believe me, that has the attention of everyone in the world. You know, many of us are rightly very proud of how – I'll give you an example of how We took our students out of Ukraine during Operation Ganga. Like I said, rightly so. But I also want you to know that many countries said to their students and their citizens, 'Sorry guys, there's nothing more I can do.' find your way out.”
“And these were not developing countries. In fact, they were developed countries, saying to their people, you are on your own. So this change that has come about, that every Indian who travels anywhere has that feeling, that look , you know, sometimes people talk about, you know, there's something called a passport index. And the passport index is based on the number of places you don't need a visa for,” he added.
Jaishankar emphasized that the Indian passport is viewed with more respect and that it shows that the government supports the person who carries that passport. He said the passport index should include who comes to get someone when he or she is in trouble, and the system that is willing to support you when you go out. He called this the 'real value of the passport'.
He noted, “To me, there's something missing from that index. I would have included which passport you have with you and who will come for you if you are in trouble. And believe me, when you add that factor, you get a There are very different passport indexes than getting a visa and the ability to travel easily, that's just part of it.”
“What happens if something goes wrong? Who will take care of you? Who has a system ready to support you when you leave? For me, that is the real value of the passport. And if today Indian passport is looked at with more respect, like I said, one part of it is what you do at home, but the other part is also that people know that this passport means that their government is behind the person who is carrying the passport,” he added.
Highlighting that people abroad are fascinated by how things like the ration card system and the election system work in India, Mr. Jaishankar said, “The third is our achievement at home. And I often share with my colleagues in the Cabinet and Parliament that they think that when the Foreign Secretary leaves India, it makes sense to discuss foreign policy all the time.”
'But in reality, people abroad are very fascinated by what we do at home for the rest of our lives. They want to know how your ration system works. How does your election system work? You know, how do you get your ration system? gas bottle? How do you get your electricity connection? Why did this one change because they read all these stories,” he added.
Highlighting India's infrastructure progress, he said the Indian government has built 40 million houses and given them to low-income people.
“We are talking about Japan. Let me give you a number that relates to Japan. In the last ten years, we have built 40 million houses and given them to people who qualify because of their low income. In 4.8 families is that the average That means about 190 million people have owned a home in the last ten years. That's one and a half times the population of Japan. If you tell anyone in Japan, you know, guess what, I've housed one And then of course there is the progress in infrastructure. I think we all live in this country, we can see it every day in different ways,” Mr Jaishankar said.
Stating that there is tremendous interest in the world for investment in India, knowledge in India and travel in India, he emphasized that there are many opportunities in India as the country globalizes and creates a path through its talent and skills at home. access to a global workplace.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)