Cairo/Dubai, Feb 14 (EFE).- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that the Global South, a term to refer to developing countries in general, must be involved in decision-making for the world.
Modi stressed the importance of addressing the concerns of the developing world and promoting equity for the Global South in global decision-making in his address at the World Government Summit in Dubai.
“We must heed the voice of the Global South and prioritize their concerns. We must share our resources and capabilities with countries in need.”
He said involving the countries of the Global South was imperative because governments around the world needed to “develop protocols for new challenges like artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency, and cybercrime.”
“While prioritizing our national sovereignties, we must also maintain the dignity of international law,” he said, speaking in Hindi.
Sharing his “experience” of governing the western Indian state for 13 years before being at the helm of the federal government, Modi said he, in his years in power, had pushed for “minimum government, maximum governance.”
“I have always emphasised creating an environment in which the sense of enterprise and energy in the citizens grows,” he said.
He emphasized that countries across the globe needed “inclusive governments, which take everyone along and are clean and free from corruption.”
“I believe that people should neither feel the absence of a government, nor should there be pressure from the government,” Modi said. “In fact, I believe that the government should interfere as little as possible in the lives of people.”
Modi is on a two-nation tour of the Middle East that began amid brewing peasant trouble back home as thousands of farmers mounted on tractors and trucks marched towards the Indian capital, New Delhi.
The farmers are demanding the government enact a law guaranteeing minimum crop prices in the face of market fluctuations in a repeat of a year-long sit-in in 2021 on the outskirts of Delhi.
Modi’s government has deployed thousands of security personnel to stop the farmers from marching into the capital.
On Tuesday, police fired tear gas canisters and detained some farmers as they tried to breach barricades on their way to Delhi.
While Modi has been tight-lipped about the protests, his ministers have come down heavily on farmers for causing inconvenience by blocking highways to New Delhi.
Earlier this week, ministers held a six-hour meeting with peasant leaders without arriving at a consensus.
“We should keep in mind all aspects and discuss this. The farmers need to ensure that normal life is not disrupted. I think no solution can be found by doing anything that creates inconvenience for the common man,” federal Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda said on Wednesday.
“Such actions only create hurdles in finding a solution. I urge them to maintain a conducive atmosphere for dialog,” he said, adding that the government would continue to talk with farmer associations. EFE
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