New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday called for transit access among SCO nations so as to facilitate connectivity and provide prompt aid to cash-strapped Afghanistan via the Pakistan route.
Modi picked up the example of Pakistan for not providing transit rights to India on time which stalled several aids provided to the nation still reeling under the Taliban takeover and Ukraine crisis that held up global trade. Afghanistan has been reliant on several countries, particularly India that transports medical aid and food supplies.
In his opening remarks at the SCO summit hosted by Uzbekistan in Samarkand, PM Modi said, "There is a need for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to develop reliable, resilient, and diversified supply chains in the region in the backdrop of disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the Ukraine crisis, for which, better connectivity is important," he added.
"There is also a need for the SCO nations to give transit permits to each other," he added. This comes as Pakistan has been showing reluctance in providing transit facilities to India for sending aid to the crisis that has hit Afghanistan.
PM Modi in his speech at the SCO noted that the world is overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic. "Several disruptions occurred in the global supply chain because of the COVID and Ukraine crisis. We want to transform India into a manufacturing hub", he asserted.
PM Modi further said, "India’s economy is expected to grow at the rate of 7.5% this year. I'm glad that ours is one of the fastest growing economies among the largest economies of the world. We are focussing on a people-centric development model. We are supporting innovation in every sector. Today there are more than 70,000 start-ups and over 100 unicorns in our country."
While highlighting that India is making progress in the manufacturing hub, PM Modi reiterated that there is a lot of focus on the proper use of technology in India's people-centric development model. "We are making progress in making India a manufacturing hub," added the PM.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin including Chinese Prez Xi, and other world leaders also conveyed a congratulatory message to India for assuming the presidency the next year.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday attended the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Samarkand, sharing the dais with Chinese President Xi Jinping for the first time since the deadly Galwan Valley clash in June 2020 between the Indian and Chinese army troops.
Apart from Xi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and leaders of the other member states of the influential grouping are also taking part in the summit. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and leaders of several Central Asian countries also took part in the event.
