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New Delhi : The Vice President (VP) of India M Venkaiah Naidu has said that India has been a voice for peace and non-violence from time immemorial. He was addressing the Indian diaspora at UNSECO in Paris, France, on November 9, 2018. The Ambassador of India Veniay Mohan Kwatra and other dignitaries were present on the occasion. Stating that peace is the only pre-requisite for progress, the Vice President said that in an inter-dependent world, progress can be achieved only through dialogue and understanding.
Naidu lauded the contributions of the diaspora in the fields of science and technology, industry, agriculture, art, culture, governance or politics, saying their strong contributions and successes are as much a matter of pride for France, the country of their settlement, as they are for India, the country of their origin. Persons of Indian origin and Indians abroad have excelled in many areas of French public life, with many as members in the French Parliament as well as in the European Parliament, he added.
The Vice President said that Rabindranath Tagore’s intellectual influence was known to have touched several French thinkers. Indian luminaries like Madame Bhikaji Cama and JRD Tata, who were significant figures in India’s pre-independence history, too had strong links with France, he added.
Stating that bold reforms agenda of the Government is transforming India’s academic landscape, Naidu said that the story of India is an unfolding and a promising one. This is at a time when the rest of the world including parts of this region is experiencing a slowdown, he said.
He said that the introduction of Goods and Service Tax was a major step to have seamless and efficient national market and added that it would make it easier for businesses to establish and grow in India. Naidu invited the members of Indian diaspora to take actively participate in the creation of New India. Naidu also talked about the joint efforts of India and France to promote the use of clean energy by way of International Solar Alliance.
Earlier, Naidu interacted with Director General of UNESCO Audrey Azoulay and apprised her of India’s efforts to achieve the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development in all the fields including education. They also discussed matters such as usage of information and communication technologies to improve access to education, enhancing the quality of teaching-learning process and teacher development programmes, strengthening educational planning and management, and improving monitoring systems.
The Vice President is in Paris, France, to attend the centenary year of end of First World War. He will also be participating at a global event at Arc d’ Trionphe in which he will pay homage to the martyrs of World War I. He will also inaugurate the Indian Armed Forces Memorial at Villers Guislain as a tribute to several thousands of Indian soldiers whose gallantry and dedication have earned worldwide recognition.