Bhopal, March 31 India has emerged as the world's fastest-growing major economy, and it is creating a new history by effectively overcoming challenges, said Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh on Tuesday.
A large part of the world is facing a kind of energy crisis, but India is progressing smoothly, he said, apparently referring to the disruption in the global fuel supply chain due to the ongoing war in West Asia and its impact on countries.
"Prices of petroleum products have risen sharply in many parts of the world, such as North America, Europe, West Asia, and some other Asian countries. Power outages are occurring in some areas, while lockdown-like situations have emerged elsewhere. But despite these circumstances, India is moving ahead smoothly," Harivansh noted.
"Today, India is the world's fastest-growing economy. It (India) is creating a new history by overcoming challenges, and the 21st century will belong to this nation (India). For this, working with a positive and visionary approach is essential," he emphasised.
He was addressing the closing session of the two-day Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (India Region, Zone 6) conference for young legislators in Bhopal.
The deputy chairman recalled that when he became an MP in 2014, he would receive piles of papers, and there wasn't enough space to store them at his home, and he would hardly get an opportunity to read them fully.
"But, today, the same Parliament has become completely paperless, and work is underway to use AI (Artificial Intelligence). Legislative assemblies are also rapidly becoming digital, creating many new opportunities for public representatives," the journalist-turned-parliamentarian maintained.
He said technology provides opportunities, especially AI.
"There are two perspectives on this - on one hand, it is considered a challenge, while on the other, it also offers significant opportunities. For states or countries that have experienced slower development, technology offers an opportunity to progress," he opined.
Harivansh, who was elected the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman for the first time in 2018, pointed out that rapid progress is possible through AI provided the transformative technology, that enables machines to perform human-like problem-solving tasks, is used correctly.
States are the centre of development as issues like law and order, agriculture, health, and education fall under their jurisdiction. Therefore, the foundation of development lies with states, he noted.
Citing the example of late political stalwart K Kamaraj, Harivansh stated that as chief minister he laid a strong foundation for the development of Tamil Nadu despite not having much formal education.
He stressed that energy is the fundamental driver of today's economic growth and its role is crucial.
"Despite being the world's most populous country and the seventh largest in terms of geographical area, India has limited stocks of minerals, petroleum products, and many other natural resources, which we have to import on a large scale," Harivansh said.
The RS deputy chairman said over the past week, he visited several cities in the country and found traffic and other activities were continuing as usual.
This is an example of India's resilience and crisis management, he noted in view of the West Asian conflict.
He said this was possible due to the efforts made by the government over the past 10 to 11 years as India imports large quantities of essential commodities like crude oil, gas, and fertilizers.
In his address, Madhya Pradesh Assembly Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar said to realise the vision of a developed India 2047, young MLAs must work with dedication.
Leadership development requires positive thinking and discipline, he insisted.
"The dream of a developed India 2047 can only be realised if our young legislators perform their duties with dedication and foresight," Tomar said.
Underscoring this fact, young legislators adopted five resolutions at the closing session of the conference.
Tomar affirmed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a developed India by 2047 was not just the government's goal, but resolution of 140 crore citizens.