In his address to the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York yesterday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted that India has become the first country in the world to develop a DNA vaccine for COVID-19 which can be administered to everyone above the age of 12.
The theme for this year's General Debate is 'Building Resilience through hope to recover from Covid-19, rebuild sustainably, respond to the needs of the planet, respect the rights of people, and revitalise the United Nations.'
"Over the last few days, have had productive bilateral and multilateral engagements, interaction with CEOs and the UN address. I am confident the India-USA relationship will grow even stronger in the years to come. Our rich people-to-people linkages are among our strongest assets," Modi said.
Modi also paid condolences to families of those who lost their lives in COVID-19 and called for the UN to stay relevant.
"India is a great example of a vibrant democracy. The strength of our democracy is demonstrated by the fact that a little boy, who was helping his father at a tea stall in India, is addressing the UNGA for the fourth time as Prime Minister of India," the PM said.
"We believe in a development process which is all-pervasive, universal and one that nurtures all," he added.
Speaking against terrorism and extremism, which he said are threatening the world, he said, "Regressive thinking and extremism are increasingly threatening the world. In these circumstances, the entire world will have to make science-based rational and progressive thinking the basis of their development programmes."
He quoted famous Indian philosopher Chanakya, “when the right work is not done at the right time, time itself destroys the success of that work”
Modi arrived in Washington on Wednesday for a three-day visit to the United States, his first beyond India’s neighbourhood since the outbreak of the pandemic.