India a bright spot in world: Kishan Reddy

Hyderabad: Union Minister of Culture and Tourism G Kishan Reddy said here on Sunday that the G-20 presidency has enhanced the country's prestige in the comity of nations.

Delivering a talk, organised by the Forum for Nationalist Thinkers, on India's G20 presidency, he said some are talking without knowing about the G20 conference; it is the need of the hour for developing countries like India.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has focused on every sector and the country's identity; it is clearly visible in its achievements. He recalled that former PM Atal B Vajpayee was criticised when he proposed expansion of national highways, asking where he would get Rs 70,000 crore. Later, for ten years, the successive governments did not bother about development of national highways.

Explaining how every State capital in the North-East is being connected with the national highways, Reddy said, "efforts are on to connect every North-Eastern State's capital with railway lines." Similarly, apart from the national highways, green field highways and expressways were also constructed. Reddy said India is the only country where 5G services are being extended at the lowest prices. The country has a robust foreign policy he stated, recalling how it worked hard to bring back stranded Indian students in Ukraine, amid the Russia-Ukraine war. He said the PM and External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar planned to hold 250 meetings of G20 in 56 cities of the country.

The local people were welcoming the G20 delegates. In turn, the delegates have been experiencing the Indian culture, language and ways of living. "It is helping people talk about India worldwide.

Later, Jaishankar delivered a talk on India's presidency of G20 and foreign policy.