‘India has been in the forefront of global action against terrorism,’ said Jaishankar

Without taking Pakistan’s name, Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar on Monday said terrorism continues to be one of the gravest threats to humankind.

He said terrorism is a crime against humanity and violates the most fundamental human right - namely ‘the Right to Life’

“As a long-standing victim, India has been in the forefront of the global action against terrorism. This is possible only when there is a clear realisation, including in bodies dealing with human rights, that terrorism can never be justified, nor its perpetrators ever equated with its victims,” Jaishankar said in his remarks at the high level segment of the 46th session of Human Rights Council.

Addressing the Council through video conferencing, he said, “We presented, last month, at the UNSC, an 8-point Action Plan to deal with the scourge of terrorism. We will continue to work together with members of the UNSC and other States to ensure implementation of our Action Plan.”

Emphasizing on India’s commitment to promotion and protection of basic human rights, he said direct food support was given to 800 million Indians and financial support to 400 million as part of the country’s strategy to deal with Covid-19 pandemic.

“As we addressed the health front at home, we responded to the world in equal measure. We provided essential medicines and equipment to more than 150 countries to assist them in this fight. In the same spirit, India has pledged to use its vaccine manufacturing capacity to make vaccines accessible and affordable to all. From Bangladesh to Brazil and from Morocco to Fiji, the pharmacy of the world is today supplying millions of vaccine doses to more than 70 countries,” the EAM said.

He said that in sync with the government’s vision of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas’(working together for inclusive development for all and securing the trust of all), India has undertaken unprecedented steps, aimed at economic and social transformation.

“The revolutionary initiatives undertaken by the government include the world’s largest financial inclusion scheme, which covers 417 million aspirational Indians; free health insurance coverage to 500 million; provision of 150 million homes to the underprivileged; loans at concessional rates to 140 million needy Indians for promoting entrepreneurship, out of which 76 per cent of the beneficiaries are women; 50 million free gas connections to deserving women belonging to rural households; construction of 110 million toilets in the last 5 years and bringing tap water connection to every household in the country by 2024,” S Jaishankar said, adding all these steps have contributed immensely in enjoyment of basic human rights by people in India.