India now fifth biggest economy in world, to become developed country by 2047: EAM Jaishankar
New York (US), September 24: Noting that India is currently the world's fifth largest economy and aims to become a developed country by 2047, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday that the country's development is inseparable from rest of the world.
Jaishankar was speaking at a special event "India@75: Showcasing India UN Partnership in Action" to commemorate and highlight India's development journey and contributions to South-South Cooperation.
"In the 18th century, India accounted for a quarter of the global GDP. By the middle of the 20th, colonialism ensured that we were one of the poorest nations in the world. That was our state when we became the founding member of the United Nations," the minister added.
He further stated that in the 75th year of its independence, India stands before the UN today "proudly as the fifth biggest economy in the world" and is still rising as the "strongest, most enthusiastic and definitely the most argumentative democracy".
He discussed the advancement of digital public infrastructure in India, saying that it is intended to ensure that "no one is left behind."
"In recent days digital technology has successfully advanced our food safety net to 800 million Indians. More than USD 300 billion of benefits have been distributed digitally, 400 million people get food regularly."
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"India today envisions itself as a developed country by 2047, at the 100 years of our independence. We dream of digitizing our most remote villages and landing on the moon," the EAM stated and smiled saying "perhaps digitizing" the moon as well.
Taking notice of how the Covid pandemic affected the world, the minister stated that India has administered over two billion vaccinations.
"During Covid Pademic we responded with vaccines to Africa, Caribbean, Latin America etc," he added.
The minister also added that India's "foundational belief is that its own development is inseparable from that of the rest of the world."
"Without doubt, our progression growth has also benefitted from our interface with the United Nations. India was the founding member of the UN and as we mark 75 years of freedom, we also celebrate 75 years of our partnership with the UN," he asserted.
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-PTC News
