India is indeed the mother of democracy – PM

Subject: International Events

Section : Msc

Concept:

The Second Summit for Democracy was co-hosted by the U.S., Costa Rica, the Netherlands, South Korea and Zambia.
121 leaders across the world were invited to the three-day Summit.
India, Nepal and Maldives were invited while Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka did not get the invitation.
Pakistan, which was invited, declined to attend for the second time, ostensibly due to the exclusion of China.
The text for Summit for Democracy Declaration was finalised and is left open to be endorsed by the participating leaders.

Summit for Democracy

On December 9-10, 2021, US President Biden hosted the first Summit for Democracy.
This summit brought together leaders all over the world to set forth an affirmative agenda for democratic renewal and to tackle the greatest threats faced by democracies today through collective action.
Aim
The summit aims to show how open, rights-respecting societies can work together to effectively tackle the challenges of our time such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis, and inequality.
Principal themes
The Summit is centered around three principal themes:
Defending against authoritarianism
Addressing and fighting corruption
Advancing respect for human rights

Key highlights of the speech delivered by PM Modi

India – mother of democracy :
Asserting that India is indeed the mother of democracy, PM Modi said that democracy refers not just to a structure but also the spirit of equality.
He said that the Mahabharata, the Vedas and all historical references prove that non-hereditary rulers first existed in India.
Democracy Can Deliver :
India, despite the many global challenges, is the fastest growing major economy today.
This itself is the best advertisement for democracy in the world. This itself says that Democracy Can Deliver.
India’s commitment on climate change :
Initiatives such as fighting the climate crisis through lifestyle changes, conserving water through distributed storage and providing clean cooking fuel to everyone are powered by the collective efforts of Indian citizens.
India’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic :
India’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic was people-driven and they made it possible to administer more than two billion doses of indigenously made vaccines.
‘Vaccine Maitri’ initiative shared millions of vaccines with the world.
This was also guided by the democratic spirit of ‘VasudhaivaKutumbakam’ — One Earth, One Family, One Future.