United Nations: Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced India's ambitions of being a global leader in a speech he delivered at United Nations General Assembly on Friday. While he warned the world against the dangers of terrorism, he also tersely countered Pakistan's propaganda, warning in very clear terms that a world divided over the issue of terror "would be a setback to those principles on the basis of which UN was conceived."
Modi said that the 21st-century India was making an effort not just for itself but for the world whether it was in the fight against global warming, peacekeeping missions, or alleviating millions of people from poverty. He said that India's contribution to global warming was very little but it had punched well above its weight in combating global warming.
"We have worked towards it not just through initiatives we took in areas of renewable energy, for which we initiated formation of International Solar Alliance. Not only is global warming begetting natural disasters but increasing their frequency and scope. We need a combined efforts of a coalition. India has contributed and made greatest sacrifices for UN peacekeeping missions."
He added that India was a country which gave the world message not of wars but of peace. "Because of that our voice carries a lot of weight especially when it is directed at fighting terror and because of that there is angst in our voice. Terror is one of the biggest challenges before the world today. A divided world today would be a setback to those principles on basis of which UN was conceived. For the good of mankind to combat terror entire world standing together is necessary."
Modi also delivered a message to the global audience about massive upliftment programmes run by the country through which it was making global impact.
"When a progressive nation runs the largest health scheme in the world, it sympathises with not just the poor within its borders but the underpriviledged everywhere. When a progressive nation launches world's largest financial inclusion scheme, it instils belief in world's poor. When a progressive nation launches a digital identification program to give them biometric credentials, there is a new hope for the poor that they will not have to suffer from corruption."
He added that by 2022 when India will be celebrating 75 years of independence, "we would have constructed 2 crore more homes for poor."
Modi's other message to the global audience was for the safekeeping of the environment.
He said that while visiting the UN office in New York he had read the message that said "No more single use plastic". Modi said he was glad "to tell you that while I'm addressing you [the member states] my entire country is getting rid of single use plastic. In the coming 5 years we will work on water conservation. In the next five years we plan to extend piped water to 15 crore homes."
India would be far ahead than the rest of the world in fighting diseases like tuberculosis, Modi said.
"The world may have designated 2030 to be tuberculosis free. But we are working to rid tuberculosis from India by 2025. How are we being able to do this? India is thousands of years old, great civilisation has its own traditions. It had within it worldly ambitions." Modi added that India's ancient traditions and culture taught us to work together.
Which is why, Modi ended his speech, by urging the world to stick together especially in weathering the modern day storms.
"In circumstances when serious threats face us being scattered isn't in anyone's interests. Multilateralism has to be given a serious push. Around 125 years ago Swami Vivekanand had in his speech in Chicago gave the world the message of ‘harmony and peace’. World's largest democracy still has the same message for the world, ‘harmony and peace’," he concluded.
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