Jaishankar: India has come through multiple global shocks solidly

Amid the continuing wars in West Asia and Ukraine, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday asserted that India has solidly come through the multiple global shocks that have recently tested the country’s resilience.

‘’We have managed both domestic and external challenges fairly successfully. In fact, more inclusive growth, representative politics and decisive leadership have created a new foundation from which we can all now harbor higher aspirations,’’ he said addressing the 15th annual convocation ceremony of IIM Raipur.

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Jaishankar was of the view that the turbulence in the world currently is structural in many ways. The global order, he said, is changing before everyone’s eyes, with visible shifts in the relative power and influence of countries.

‘’The politics of some societies find it difficult to come to terms with these changes. New developments in technology, in energy, in military capabilities, in connectivity and in resources have encouraged risk taking in an increasingly competitive environment. Everything today is being leveraged, if not actually weaponised. The world is then confronted with the task of securing itself in an increasingly volatile and unpredictable environment. This has necessitated a larger inclination to hedge, to de-risk and to diversify, whether it is a business choice or a foreign policy one,’’ the minister said.

He told the students that the prospects of those graduating today in India are far brighter than before. ‘’In fact, there is an optimism in our society that is lacking in many other parts of the world,’’ he added.

Jaishankar said building national capabilities has become more critical in the light of the global trends that are being witnessed. This is particularly so for large nations. Even in the developed world, the earlier ‘mantras’ of globalisation have now given way to a new awareness of self-reliance.

“For us in India, this is expressed as ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’. Its value is obvious when it comes to food, health or energy security, or indeed to national security. We must endeavour to build and secure within our control as much capacity as we can. Obviously, some domains will be more difficult than others. In such cases, the answers lie in reliable, trusted partnerships and diverse sourcing,’’ he added.