Speaking at the University Connect Programme at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan in New Delhi, Jaishankar said there are very good reasons why today's world is taking a much deeper interest in India.

Kant noted that India is taking the G-20 Presidency at a very challenging time. "There is a geopolitical crisis, there is a crisis of climate finance and climate action. 70 countries are facing a global debt crisis. And as a consequence of COVID, 200 million people have gone below the poverty line," he said.

New Delhi Apr 26 PTI Countries in South Asia need to come together to ensure that digital platforms and networks on which data flows are safe secure and trusted foreign secretary-designate Vinay Mohan Kwatra said on Tuesday During a panel discussion From Mountain to Ocean Harnessing Commerce Connectivity and Creativity in the Subcontinent at the Raisina Dialogue he also said platform-based digital cooperation is a very promising domain where one can have one platform in the entire South Asian region What it essentially does is you can have one platform in entire South Asia in which one country of the region can either market its product service and even share its experience with other countries of South Asia Kwatra said He said usage of new products is another promising area in the domain of digital cooperation Platforms like National Payments Corporation of India NPCI in partnership with entities in Nepal are allowing app-based payment structures to be operable between India and Nepal Kwatra said Digital connectivity brings about enormous system efficiency for trade he said Kwatra said when one moves from 4G to 4G plus which most economies in South Asia are doing and from 4G plus to 5G and then to 6G the importance of having a trusted technology base which relies on standards increases I think this is something where countries of South Asia need to come together as a region to ensure that digital platforms and networks on which data flows are safe secure and trusted he said Once you move to 5G you will no longer be able to have a full control over the data that flows on those infrastructures he said Kwatra said there is a remarkable opportunity in the digital space mainly because it allows you to bridge the geographies at effectively no extra cost Seasoned diplomat and Indias current envoy to Nepal Kwatra was earlier this month appointed as the new foreign secretary succeeding Harsh Vardhan Shringla who retires on April 30 PTI ASK ZMN

New Delhi Oct 22 PTI External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday discussed the Afghanistan situation and the issues related to the Indo-Pacific with UK Chief of the Defence Staff General Nicholas CarterCarter who is on an India visit met Jaishankar hereConversation centered around Afghanistan and Indo-Pacific Jaishankar tweeted along with a picture from the meetingForeign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla also met Carter and discussed India-UK defence and security cooperation and exchanged views on regional issues including Afghanistan PTI ASK TIR TIR