Observing that India’s stature on the global stage has grown significantly, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar today claimed that the government’s efforts towards equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines has created strong solidarity between India and other nations.

“The Covid-19 pandemic posed an unprecedented challenge that compelled us to address many issues with even greater urgency and vigour. Among them was to keep the supply chains open at a time when many borders were closing. Assisting Indian nationals abroad and our diaspora was a massive endeavour as well,” he said delivering the keynote address at the 8th edition of Good Governance Day celebrations.

Admitting that the Covid-19 pandemic posed an unprecedented challenge that compelled the government to address many issues with even greater urgency and vigour, Jaishankar commended the active role played by Indian missions abroad in the procurement of items, medicines and medical equipment.

Referring to the transformation in the international order, the minister said, “We find ourselves in a different strategic environment. Our stature on the global stage has grown significantly. The world expects more from us. And in a globalised era, there is so much more that we too can seek from the world for our national development.”

Talking about “Good Governance”, he said the issue of passports was illustrative of the changes brought since 2014 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed power. At various levels, there has been an effective use of technology for the public good. This has made applications easier to receive and process. It has shortened processing time. And the use of post offices, the passport exercise was a real case of minimum government, maximum governance. All these are central to our goal of approaching the world as a global workplace.

Jaishankar said India’s economic activities also demonstrated the benefits of closer coordination and a broader reach-out. Whether it was the quest for technology, capital or best practices, or indeed the promotion of exports and projects, the Ministry of External Affairs has worked effectively with other ministries to deliver. “At a time when the Prime Minister himself has laid out a vision of our economic goals abroad, it is a matter of satisfaction that we have been able to step up performance substantially,” he added.