Chandrayaan-3 showed to world a glimpse of what is to come from India in Amrit Kaal: EAM Jaishankar tells UNGA

India’s historic and successful lunar mission Chandrayaan-3 gave a glimpse to the world “of what is to come” as the country enters ‘Amrit Kaal’ where “greater progress and transformation” awaits it, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said.

On August 23, India scripted history with the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the moon, joining an elite and small space club of nations that have landed rovers on the moon.

India became the first country in the world to land a space probe on the lunar south pole and only the fourth nation after the US, China and the erstwhile Soviet Union to land a rover on the moon's surface.

“India has entered the Amrit Kaal, a quarter century where greater progress and transformation awaits us. We are confident that our talent and creativity, now so visibly unleashed, will power us forward. The world saw a glimpse of what is to come when our Chandrayaan-3 landed on the moon,” Jaishankar said in his address to the General Debate at the 78th UN General Assembly session.

In his Independence Day address this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that decisions and actions taken during the ''Amrit Kaal'' - the period until the centenary of India's Independence in 2047 - will impact the next one thousand years.

Jaishankar said in his speech that today, India’s message to the world is in digitally enabled governance and delivery, in the widening ambit of amenities and services, in rapidly growing infrastructure, and in its energetic Startup culture.

“Our latest assertion is in a pathbreaking legislation to reserve one-third of the seats for women in our legislatures,” he said.

It is visible too in vibrant cultural expressions, such as in the arts, yoga, wellness, and lifestyle. “I speak for a society where ancient traditions of democracy have struck deep modern roots. As a result, our thinking, approaches and actions are now more grounded and authentic. As a civilisational polity that embraces modernity, we bring both tradition and technology equally confidently to the table. It is this fusion that today defines India, that is Bharat,” Jaishankar said.