Raipur (Chhattisgarh), April 4 — External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said India has emerged resilient from recent global disruptions, including the West Asia conflict and the Russia-Ukraine war, managing pressures at home and abroad. Speaking at the 15th Annual Convocation of IIM Raipur, he called on the country to hedge, de-risk and diversify as international power equations change.
Jaishankar argued that structural shifts driven by advances in technology, energy, military capability, connectivity and resource competition have encouraged greater risk-taking and the instrumentalisation of influence. In that environment, he said, nations must take steps to secure themselves across business and foreign policy domains.
He pointed to a distinctive optimism within Indian society, crediting steady progress over the past decade and India’s rise into the world’s top five economies. That optimism, he said, underpins the drive toward Viksit Bharat 2047 and makes building national capabilities a central priority. While some sectors will still need trusted partners and diversified suppliers where local self-reliance is impractical, strengthening domestic capacity remains the most effective means of de-risking and gaining strategic leverage.
On foreign policy, Jaishankar highlighted priorities such as expanding market access for Indian producers, securing resources, technology and essential goods, protecting Indians overseas and promoting India’s international image.
His remarks came as tensions in West Asia have intensified following US-Israel strikes on Iran on February 28 and Iran’s subsequent response, developments that have affected regional stability and global fuel flows. (ANI)
