AMN / TOKYO
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has said that terrorism not only damages the society but also significantly impacts the economy.
Mr Birla, who is in Tokyo to attend the 6th Parliamentary Speakers’ Summit of G 20 Countries, shared his views with Presiding Officers of Parliaments of G20 countries.
He said, today the world is grappling with several challenges which not only obstruct the efforts towards development but also pose a serious threat to humanity.
Mr Birla said that the First and foremost challenge is Terrorism. He expressed the view that terrorism not only damages the society but also significantly impacts the economy and destroys the development that has taken place.
He observed that another major challenge is Climate Change which is not only altering the character of our planet but also creating critical risks and instability for future generations. He felt that the issue of climate change must be considered in a holistic manner, keeping in mind the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities.
Mr Birla also referred that the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs mirrors India’s own development priorities. Accordingly, there is a convergence of India’s national development goals and agenda of, ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ or ‘Collective efforts, Inclusive growth,’ with the SDGs. He emphasized that to accelerate the pace of realization of the Development agenda, the government of India has unfurled the ‘strategy for New India @ 75’, that is aligned to SDGs and aims to propel India towards a 5 trillion dollar economy by 2024.
Prior to this, addressing the Presiding Officers on the theme ‘Utilization of Innovative Technology towards a Human-Centered Society’ at Session II, Mr Birla said that that technology and innovations are bringing about significant changes in the way societies and economies are run. He said that these are gathering traction and presents an opportunity to meet growth aspirations of developing countries.
Mr Birla mentioned that, for India, digitization presents, in a comprehensive, continuous and effective way, an unprecedented opportunity to realize the aspirations of 1.32 billion people and through the Adhaar, digital identity has been provided to 1.24 billion people in India. He further noted that, in India, digital payment has increased exponentially through UPI based Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM) and through the financial Inclusion Scheme – Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (Prime Minister’s Peoples’ Wealth Scheme). More than 370 million new beneficiaries have been provided bank accounts. He said that the Information Technology Enabled Services Industry in India employs around 4.14 million workers of which 30 per cent are women.
On the use of ICT in Parliament of India, Mr Birla said that the use of information and communication technology is benefitting not only by making Parliament’s working more transparent and efficient but also by strengthening the ways to discharge their functions effectively.
During the day, Mr Birla also met Presiding Officers of Mexico, Indonesia, Russia, Netherlands and other countries.