Union Minister S Jaishankar focused on the vision of “Atmanirbhar Bharat” on Thursday, saying that the country’s mindset is changing with a “new India” that invents Covid-19 vaccines and lands near the south pole of the Moon, news agency PTI reported.
According to PTI, in a recorded video message played during an event in New Delhi, the external affairs minister also stated that during India’s G20 presidency last year, “we deliberated on structural issues” that are central to the Global South’s current predicament.
According to the PTI report, the key among these is various concentrations created by the last three to four decades of globalisation for a variety of reasons, including scales, subsidies, technology, human resources, and strategic choices.
“The Global South was largely reduced to consuming rather than producing. India’s response to this situation is articulated in Atmanirbhar Bharat, which means self-sufficient India,” Jaishankar was quoted as saying by PTI.
At its core is the “Make in India” initiative, which “not only focuses on our own needs, but those of others as well,” and is motivated by a strong desire to make doing business in India easier, he said.
“Indeed, a mindset itself is transforming, a new India that creates its own 5G stacks, which invents and mass produces its Covid vaccines and which lands near the south pole of the Moon,” said the minister said.
The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and the Delhi High Court co-hosted the inaugural session of the masterclass on “Intellectual Property Adjudication — Judicial Perspectives”.
The external affairs minister stated that the government has promoted creativity and innovation through a number of national initiatives, including Make in India, Digital India, Start Up India, the Atal Tinkering Labs, and the Atal Incubation Centres.
The results of all of these initiatives are also very clear, he said, adding that “India has been on a rising trajectory over the past several years” as reflected in the WIPO’s global innovation index. It has risen from 81 in 2015 to 40 in 2023, and is now one of the world’s top innovation economies, both in terms of income and region, Jaishankar said, as reported by PTI.
“In fact, innovation has been at the forefront of our battle against the unprecedented crisis created by the (Covid) pandemic,” he added further.
Jaishankar On Intellectual Property:
In his video message, Jaishankar emphasised the significance of intellectual property rights in the modern era.
Intellectual property (IP) is a cornerstone of human ingenuity, encapsulating the fruits of creativity and innovation in intangible legal rights, he stated.
Recent developments in India’s academic sphere indicate a growing interest in intellectual property law, with leading universities offering specialised courses and establishing chairs dedicated to the subject, he added.
“Our engagement with international bodies, such as the WIPO, underscores the commitment to global cooperation in the realm of intellectual property,” he said, according to PTI.
By participating in various treaties administered by the WIPO and aligning its laws with international standards, India has established itself as a key player in the field of intellectual property, recognising its critical role in driving innovation, economic growth, and cultural development, according to the minister.
