No country can progress without embracing technology, R&D: S Jaishankar

New Delhi: No country can progress without embracing technology and research and development, Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Monday.

Interacting with the students of NIT Delhi as part of the BJP's mega public outreach to mark nine years of the Narendra Modi government, Jaishankar advised them to understand local and global developments.

"Globalisation has broken down the boundaries between inside and outside and you should understand what is happening around you," he said citing the impacts of the Covid pandemic and Ukraine war on the prices of petroleum products and food grains.

No nation can become developed without embracing technology and research and development, the minister said.

Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several changes have taken place in the last nine years, he said.

Citing Modi's recent visit to the US, Jaishankar said, "He has a different image, especially in the democratic world as a senior experienced and credible leader." The ideas and decisions of Modi have an impact, he said.

"In his foreign visits, Modi represents the strength and talent of 149 crore Indians. The world is now looking towards India and its youth," Jaishankar said.

The external affairs minister also highlighted the Modi government's initiatives to make India a hub of semiconductor manufacturing and set up a national research foundation.