AMN / WEB DESK
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said, today no major issue in the world is decided without some consultation with India. Speaking at the Manthan: Townhall meeting at Nagpur today, Dr Jaishankar said, India has changed and so has the world’s view of it. He said India is the fifth-largest economy and in very few years, it will be the third-largest economy and many countries today see its weight, power, and influence.
On being asked how New Delhi manages being part of groupings like Quad and BRICS consisting of countries with conflicting interests, the External Affairs Minister said, it is in India’s nature to be ‘independent’ and because of this, New Delhi has to manage its interests with different people instead of being “someone else’s subsidiary or enterprise”.
Speaking further on the transformation that has taken place in the country, Dr. Jaishankar said, today the world has come to India and the rise in talent in the country has attracted more investments in the country.
Addressing the question of providing free food to 80 crore people, he questioned what is wrong if the poor and needy receive free healthcare and food. Dr. Jaishankar stressed that it is the country’s responsibility to ensure the inclusion of rural people in the path of development, as this is essential to gauge true progress
