SHIMLA: While referring to the
ongoing conflicts
such as those between Russia and Ukraine, and Israel and Palestine in Gaza, Union minister for external affairs
S Jaishankar
said that these conflicts will not end quickly. He esaid that the world is currently in a tense situation, highlighting the need for India to have a government with standing, prestige, and maturity.
Jaishankar predicted that the next 4-5 years will be very challenging for the world. Additionally, he mentioned that for India to become a developed nation, it must reduce its
dependence on China
and place greater emphasis on the construction sector.
While speaking with the media persons before the “Viksit Bharat 2047” intellectual dialogue organized by BJP in Shimla on Tuesday, he said that India has lagged behind China in the field of manufacturing at different times. He noted that the economic reforms started in China 10 years before India. He said that the answer is not to cry but to reduce dependence on China and for this Modi government has intention and policy.
He said that India’s neighbours have better relations with India than China and highlighted that we cannot progress unless we increase the qualitative sources of income. He said that in the last 10 years, India has progressed rapidly in different fields and the Modi government is in favour of all-round development.
Foreign minister added that there is a limit to employment in the government sector and we have to promote employment in other sectors including agriculture and increase competition at the national level, only then can the dream of making India a developed country be fulfilled.
Regarding China building new infrastructure on the border, he said that China is building this infrastructure on the land captured during the 1962 invasion or earlier. He said that China has not occupied any land of India after 2020 or after the NDA government came to power at the Centre.
He acknowledged that the situation on the China border is complex. He said that India has taken extensive steps to strengthen the infrastructure along the China border under the Vibrant Village Scheme. Under this, roads, bridges, tunnels and other infrastructure have been developed on the border. While this has stopped migration of people from border villages, tourism has also increased in these areas. Besides, facilities for the soldiers guarding the border have also increased.
He said that during the UPA government, the development of infrastructure on the China border was completely ignored because the previous government believed that by developing the infrastructure along the border, the enemy would be able to easily infiltrate into the Indian border. He said that but the Modi government has changed this thinking after coming to power. He said that during the time of UPA government, the country’s budget for China border was only Rs 3500 crore, but during the time of NDA government this budget has increased to Rs 15000 crore.
On the issue of tension with China due to the presence of Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama in India, he said that the Dalai Lama himself came to India after China’s aggression in 1962. “We have always given shelter to people who had issues of faith,” he said, adding that India will never ask the Dalai Lama to return. He also said that the countrymen have immense faith in the Dalai Lama and we respect him. On the issue of resolving the Tibet issue, he said that it is the Dalai Lama and China to decide.
On the question of relations with Pakistan, he said that India has shown Pakistan that if it continues to nurture terrorism, it will have to pay the price for it. He said that if Pakistan promotes terrorism then India will cross the LoC and will also give a cross border reply. He said that if Pakistan wants normal relations then it will have to control terrorism.
In response to a question, S Jaishankar said that the Modi government has promised to take back Pakistan occupied Kashmir and the BJP government stands by this promise. He said that a proper resolution has been passed in the Parliament on this issue in which the entire opposition was also involved, but today the opposition does not remember its own decision and by criticizing its own country on the issue of PoK, the opposition is trying to weaken India’s position in the world.
On the issue of India’s permanent membership in the United Nations, EAM said that India has progressed a lot on this issue and now the matter has reached the point of giving permanent membership to India. He said that China is not in favour of India on this issue and has always created obstacles. He claimed that developing countries want India to get permanent membership of the United Nations and are in favour of getting closer to India instead of running behind China.
On the issue of increasing the duty on apples, he said the issue of increasing the duty was decided during the time of the previous UPA government. He said that the Central Government is reviewing the issue of increasing the import duty and if apples are coming to India through a wrong route then the Central Government will stop it and any such unfair trade practice will be banned.
