Aadhaar now a magic number, world coming to us for our talent: S Jaishankar
4 min read . Updated: 23 Feb 2023, 05:14 PM IST
PremiumWhile speaking about the importance of digitalisation and digital data, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said Aadhaar is like a magic number on which a huge number of people depend upon for their daily tasks
From being just an identity proof, aadhaar number has become a magic number on which the daily existence of millions of people depends upon, said Union Minister of Foreign Affairs, S Jaishankar on Thursday. He also added that India's digital image is growing and countries like Japan, UK, Denmark, Germany and Portugal are coming for us for our talent.
“The aadhaar number has become like a magic number. It is the backbone on which the daily existence of millions depends. Our digital image is growing. Countries including Japan, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Germany, and Portugal are coming to us for our talent," said EAM Dr S Jaishankar at an event.
He also said that the main aim of the G20 summit is to promote economic development and growth. He also expressed confidence that the world sees 15% of the global growth to come from India this year.
“I would say the world sees that 15% of the world's growth this year is to come from India. We are 15% of solution that G20 is looking for," added Dr S Jaishankar.
As India is the G20 host for this year, S Jaishankar said India is sharing a huge responsibility. "It is not just a collection of 20 nations, but it is a very special responsibility at a very difficult moment in international relations. And what India could do, will do in this one year and it will make a big difference in world politics" he said.
S Jaishankar laid stress on the fact that convenience should not become a vulnerability for India. While addressing the 'G-20 Festival of Thinkers Summit,' he also said that the word economies are trying to cope up from the effects of the pandemic.
'Data is the new oil'
After addressing the dominance of data and digitalisation, EAM warned that its dominance could also lead to a deadly situation. He called 'data' as the new oil and expressed it to become an indicator to determine power among nations in the coming generations.
"Centuries ago it was about wealth, military power, and gold, some also said that it was oil. Data is the new oil. It means, that every digital transaction contributes to artificial intelligence, contributes to the creation of capabilities which will determine the balance of power among nations" he said.
He mentioned the challenge of today's world in handling data. The main challenge in today's time is data security and data privacy. It is more about knowing who sees “our data, who monitors our data, who utilises our data, and what power do they have over you" opined S Jaishankar.
'Convenience of life don't become a vulnerability'
S Jaishankar also asked the people to be vary of their practices and habits so that conveniences of life don't become a vulnerability for everyone. He stressed upon the need to have more reliable, resilient supply chains, and have more trusted and transparent practices in the digital world.
"In terms of goods, we need more reliable, resilient supply chains, in the digital world, we need more trusted, more transparent practices, to ensure privacy-respecting data. We have to make sure that the conveniences of life don't become a vulnerability for each one of us, and particularly for our nation," Jaishankar said.
“World is in a difficult state," EAM on COVID pandemic and Russia-Ukraine war
S Jaishankar also stated that the world is in a difficult state, mainly because of COVID pandemic and Russia-Ukraine conflict. Due to the Russia-Ukraine crisis, the world witnessed an energy and food crises more than double for some countries.
"When we say that the world is difficult, it is not an exaggeration but an understatement," the EAM stated.
The pandemic left every corner of the world hugely affected, said Jaishankar. He said that the socio-economic cost of the pandemic is very big and the world is still trying to absorb its terms.
S Jaishankar said that the world already had a lot of problems before the pandemic, but the COVID pandemic and Ukraine conflict made things worse for across the world.
(With agency inputs)