The world is experiencing turbulence over the last three years, the like of which it has not witnessed in many decades in the past. In addition to the many blows that the world suffered like the 9/11 attacks in 2001 and the international economic crisis in 2007-08 in recent decades, the world was buffeted by the Covid-19 pandemic at the beginning of 2020. This resulted in severe health and economic jolts to the global community. While it was still in the throes of recovering from this crisis, the world was dealt a huge body blow by the Russian invasion of Ukraine more than seven months ago. In addition to the disruption of vital supply chains, the world is also confronting acute shortages and high prices of food, energy and fertilizers. While the developing countries have been the worst to suffer from these unanticipated calamities, the developed countries in Europe, USA and others have also not escaped unscathed.
In the midst of all this turmoil, India has emerged as a beacon of hope for the world. India is today viewed as a partner of choice and indispensable to seeking solutions to some of the most formidable challenges like peace, security, climate change, economic recovery, healthcare, terrorism and others confronting the world.
While most countries from whom leadership was expected to effectively confront the health and economic threats of the Covid-19 pandemic were found wanting, India converted the unforeseen threats into opportunities by following bold yet prudent policies. When the developed countries were competing with each other to provide ever larger stimuli to their economies and put more money into the pockets of the consumers, India pursued a measured policy approach. India has continued to provide essential food items to more than 800 million of its population for 33 months to ensure that the decline in the earning capacity of the working population due to the extended lockdowns did not adversely impact the well-being of the populace at the bottom of the economic pyramid. Rapid and extensive digitization also contributed immensely to the swift revival of the economy.
While the protracted shutdowns in the initial months of the pandemic and again during the second phase from March 2021 exacted a heavy price on the economy resulting in a decline of 6.8 percent in the GDP in FY 2020-21, the next year witnessed a sharp rise erasing much of the deficit of the lockdown period. Today India has emerged as the 5th largest economy of the world with the highest annual GDP growth of around 7 percent amongst major global economies. With a total GDP of $3.5 trillion today, the target of $5 trillion does not appear distant. By 2027, India is expected to outstrip Germany to become the 4th largest economy in the world.
Several challenges on the domestic front however continue to bedevil India. Some of these include the pervasive poverty, inequality, unemployment, gender disparity, education, healthcare and more. Governments, both at the Centre under the inspiring leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and in different states, are making sustained efforts to improve the quality of life and create a robust environment for entrepreneurship so that job seekers become self-employed and job providers.
On the health front too, India scored high by manufacturing two vaccines within a year of the pandemic viz. Covishield, in collaboration with AstraZeneca Oxford Company of UK and Covaxin, an indigenously developed and manufactured vaccine. This enabled India to start vaccination of its population from January, 2021. So far India has administered more than 2 billion vaccines to the eligible segments (12 years plus) of its population. These include one dose to more than 94% and two doses to more than 86 percent of the eligible citizenry of the country. The third precautionary (booster) dose has also been administered to a significant segment of the population.
In addition, in keeping with its philosophy of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” (The Whole World is a Family), India has supplied mostly as a gift and also on a commercial basis, more than 200 million vaccine doses to above 100 countries.
In the first few months of the pandemic, India was also faced with aggression on its northern borders. If China had thought that India would succumb to its onslaught and prove unequal to the task of stationing more than 50,000 troops and commensurate heavy artillery and equipment on the upper reaches of the Himalayas in eastern Ladakh, it was mistaken. It should have been clear to it after the 73-day face off in Doklam in 2017 that India will not compromise with its security and territorial integrity. China however arrogantly engaged in this expansionist exercise to avenge its ignominious pull back in Doklam but received a decisive and robust response at the Line of Actual Control in June, 2020. The tense standoff continues till date.
The Russia-Ukraine conflict is currently poised at a precipitous phase. India has smartly played the rather modest card. While taking a decision to not directly criticise Russia for the attack, India in its several statements at the UNGA and UNSC as well as in other fora, put its full force behind the need to respect the UN Charter and principles of territorial integrity and sovereignty.
While India may have stopped short of condemning Russia’s actions, it has made it clear that it is unhappy with the continuation of the war and would like it to end through dialogue and diplomacy at the earliest. PM Modi’s comments to President Vladimir Putin at the SCO Summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on September 16 that this is no time for war was a clear enunciation of India’s stand. Similarly, India’s Ambassador to the UN while speaking on the US resolution to condemn Russia for annexation of the four regions of Ukraine said that India was “deeply disturbed” by recent events in Ukraine.
India’s decision to not only continue to buy Russian oil but significantly increase its purchases has sent out a clear message to the West, to Russia and the rest of the world including China that India will not compromise on its core strategic interests. In the present context, its fundamental concern is to safeguard its energy security and provide reliable energy to its people at reasonable cost.
It is evident from developments over the last three years that the US has shown itself unwilling or incapable to lead the world. This is visible both in its disastrous handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and also its chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan last year. China is keen to fill the vacuum which it feels the US’ isolationism has created but its reprehensible conduct at the beginning of the pandemic, its wolf warrior diplomacy, its weaponisation of supply chains, its expansionist policies and more, have shown it unfit for that role.
In this environment of instability, confusion and disorder, India shines like an oasis of peace, stability and development. As the External Affairs Minister said in his Address at the UNGA on 24 September, India is a voice of reason, has experience and enjoys immense goodwill. This is an opportune moment for India to realise its due place in the comity of nations. This is not to suggest that India can provide leadership to the world at this juncture solely by itself. It can however engage in appropriate partnerships to carve out a place for itself which is commensurate with its economic and political stature as well as its cultural and civilisational heritage.
Some essential elements for a country to provide leadership to its region or the world comprise self-confidence, boldness, courage, vision, political will, sound economy, ability to take tough decisions, political stability, optimum mix of hard and soft power, social harmony, peer recognition and others. It is evident that India under Prime Minister Modi is endowed with most of the above ingredients. India’s vision, confidence and courage has been effectively demonstrated by several path breaking initiatives taken by PM Modi on domestic and global fronts over the last eight years. Some of these, in addition to those cited above, include abolition of Article 370; proscribing Triple Talaq; GST; pushback against Pakistan and China; upswing in relations with the US, Japan, Europe and others; International Solar Alliance; repatriation of Indian students and nationals from Ukraine and other disaster afflicted regions; Productivity Linked Incentive Scheme; digitising India; Swachh Bharat; Startup India, and many more. Through its actions and decisions, India under PM Modi has clearly demonstrated that it is able and willing to assume and provide a strong leadership to the world in resolving many of the challenges it confronts.
The latest issue of The Economist articulates the same thoughts. It is but rare, if ever, that publications like The Economist, The New York Times, The Washington Post and others of their ilk ever see anything positive in India. This is probably on account of the Left-liberal ideologies that they harbour and the unfounded prejudices against India that they carry. It is also a proof of the low competence, low effort, low accuracy journalism that they engage in.
The Economist writes: “Democracy, diplomacy and dialogue — not war — is the answer, he (PM Modi) told Russian President Vladimir Putin as the cameras rolled on September 16, before declaring that the two would speak more about how to bring peace in Ukraine. That assured interaction in Uzbekistan was the latest display of India’s rise under Modi. An ambitious and assertive power, India has become increasingly indispensable in the search for answers to some of the world’s most pressing challenges, from diplomacy to climate change to technology and trade to efforts at diversifying supply chains to counter China.”
The above statement effectively captures the sweet spot at which India stands today. With the advantages of a democratic dispensation, a huge demographic dividend, a rapidly expanding, vibrant economy and a peaceful, stable diverse population, India can provide leadership to the world to ensure peace, security and a prosperous future.
The writer is an executive council member, Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, president, Institute of Global Studies, Distinguished Fellow, Ananta Aspen Centre, and former Ambassador of India to Kazakhstan, Sweden and Latvia. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the stand of this publication.
Read all the Latest Opinions here
Comments
0 comment