Inam Ansari
New Delhi: External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Tuesday emphasised India's stance as a principled yet robust nation highlighting the country's evolving approach towards challenges such as terrorism and border disputes. In his address, the EAM also underscored the nation's commitment to integrity and resilience. "The image of India is of friendly but fair... If you look at a challenge like terrorism, the world recognises that today's India deals with terrorism very differently from how it used to," remarked Jaishankar at the Viksit Bharat 2047 programme held at Hansraj College in the national capital. "The comparison is very simple. What happened in the Mumbai attacks and what happened in Uri and Balakot... That's a comparison they make. We have a challenge at our China border. They look at these people (India) standing up and sending the troops. They are staying firm... We came under pressure not to buy oil from Russia... India said my interests require that I buy oil and I am not hiding it... We were very open and honest about it... We were very courageous about it. The sense today is that India is a firm country but it is also a fair country," he added drawing a juxtaposition between past and present responses to security threats. Touching upon India's technological advancements, Jaishankar lauded the nation's rapid digital transformation. "Today if you look at the range, how digitised India has become. How many of you today anymore use cash?" he queried, pointing out India's dominance in cashless transactions compared to global counterparts. "We think it is normal, but others don't think that. In India, we do 10-11 billion cashless transactions per month. America does 4 billion in a year... China does a maximum of 20 bill ...
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