Jaishankar calls India optimistic society, contrasts it with global outlook

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External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Wednesday addressed the Central Asia Youth Delegation at the Jawaharlal Nehru Bhawan in the national capital, highlighting India's optimistic outlook and its deep integration of technology as defining traits of the nation's youth.

Speaking at the event, Jaishankar said, "Today, we are a very optimistic society. If you ask young people in India, they feel that their life will get better, that in the next five years or next ten years, things will be better for them than they were five years ago or ten years ago. Every generation thinks that it will do better than the previous generation." 

He contrasted this positivity with global sentiments, noting that this "optimistic" feeling is not the same around the world.

Jaishankar also emphasised India's technological embrace, underscoring the characteristic of the youth in India in embracing technology.

"I mention this because that's not the feeling all over the world. Not all societies are necessarily optimistic. Not all societies think that life will necessarily get better," the EAM said.

"The other characteristic is the embrace of technology. Nobody holds their smartphones dearer to their lives than Indians... Today, the way we have embraced technology - from cashless payments to all the services which we get from the government to the way we function even with each other professionally - gives us the possibility," he further noted.

Touching on the topic of artificial intelligence (AI), noting that there needs to be a "certain way of thinking" and a "certain embrace of technology" to make the nation more AI-friendly.

"You spoke about AI today. At the end of the day, AI will require a certain way of thinking, a certain embrace of technology, which will make you AI friendly," Jaishankar added.

Earlier on Wednesday, the EAM, during a conversation with Kyung-wha Kang of the Asia Society, spoke about the trade relations between India and the US, noting that both nations have a "very open discussion" on trade and the result of that is Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump agreeing to conclude a bilateral trade agreement by fall this year.