While addressing the joint sitting of the Parliament on Thursday, the President said, "How the world's view of India has changed, we have all experienced this in the G7 Summit held in Italy. India has united the world on many issues during its G20 presidency.

New Delhi: Praising India’s Presidency of the G20, which took place last year in New Delhi, President Droupadi Murmu, while addressing a joint session of both Houses on Thursday said that India has united the world on many issues during its G20 presidency.

President Murmu further added that the G7 Summit was made the 27th member of the grouping under India’s Presidency, and noted that the move has strengthened the “trust of the African continent as well as the entire Global South.” While addressing the joint sitting of the Parliament on Thursday, the President said, “How the world’s view of India has changed, we have all experienced this in the G7 Summit held in Italy. India has united the world on many issues during its G20 presidency. It is during India’s presidency that the African Union has been made the 27th member of G20. This has strengthened the trust of the African continent as well as the entire Global South.” The African Union is a continental union consisting of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The move to include the African Union in the G20 grouping was proposed by PM Modi in June 2023.

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The G20 Summit was held here in the national capital in September 2023 and was attended by several world leaders including US President Joe Biden, UK PM Rishi Sunak and Italy PM Giorgia Meloni, amongst others.

Meanwhile, pointing to India’s Neighbourhood First Policy, President Murmu said that India has strengthened its relations with the neighbouring countries, which also was seen when the leaders from 7 nations marked their presence in the swearing-in ceremony of the Union Council of Ministers on June 9. “Following the Neighbourhood First policy, India has strengthened its relations with the neighbouring countries. Leaders of 7 neighbouring countries participated in the swearing-in ceremony of the Union Council of Ministers on June 9…Whether it is East Asia or the Middle East and Europe, my government is giving a lot of importance to connectivity. The vision of India has started giving shape to the India-Middle East Economic Corridor,” President Murmu said. “This corridor will be one of the biggest game changers of the 21st century…” she added.

India, the US, UAE, Saudi Arabia, France, Germany, Italy and the European Union had signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor during the New Delhi G20 Summit held in September last year.

The G20 summit led to the consolidation of a comprehensive framework with the objective of fostering enhanced collaboration among the G20 member nations, the European Union, and the African Union, which was formally inducted into the bloc at the New Delhi summit.

Addressing the joint sitting of both Houses, the President congratulated the newly elected members of the 18th Lok Sabha. She also expressed her gratitude to the Election Commission of India for holding the elections peacefully.

During the address, she also went on to highlight India’s performance in several areas, including science, digital payments, economy etc. “If India performs well in the world in terms of digital payments, then we should be proud. If Indian scientists successfully land Chandrayaan on the southern side of the moon, then we should be proud. If India becomes the fastest-growing economy in the world, then we should be proud. If India completes such a big election without much violence, then also we should be proud,” the President said.

“Today, the whole world respects us as the Mother of Democracy,” she added.

The triumph of Chandrayaan-3 marked a historic milestone on August 23 when the lander module successfully touched down on the moon’s South Pole. India became the fourth nation, following the United States, China, and Russia, to achieve a successful lunar landing. The mission not only showcased technological prowess but also signalled redemption after the disappointment of the Chandrayaan-2 crash landing four years earlier. “The people of India have always expressed their full faith in democracy. They have expressed full trust in the institutions related to elections. To maintain a healthy democracy, we have to preserve this faith. We also have to protect it…We remember the time when ballot papers were looted and snatched away. In order to make the voting process secure, it was decided to adopt EVMs. In the past several decades, EVMs have crossed many hurdles from the Supreme Court,” the President said, pointing to the success of the recently concluded 18th Lok Sabha Elections. Narendra Modi took oath as Prime Minister of India for his third successive term on June 9 at an impressive ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The oath ceremony was graced by luminaries from various fields, including Bollywood celebrities, ministers, and business magnates.

President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath to PM Modi, who reiterated his unwavering commitment to serving the nation and steering it towards prosperity.