Month: May 2025

Dear distinguished friends, Mr. Shukhratullah Rizayev, Ms. Neila Kapoor, Mr. Umesh Mehra, dear Indologists, friends from the media, Ambassador of South Korea Mr. Won Doyeon and other members of the diplomatic community and Embassy officials.

It is a proud moment indeed for us to commemorate the 100th birth anniversary of late Shri Raj Kapoor in Tashkent in cooperation with National Cinematography Agency in Uzbekistan, a country which Shri Raj Kapoor adored, admired and visited very often. His charming presence at Tashkent Film Festival enthralled audience and captivated their hearts. He sang and danced with his dear Uzbeki friends and celebrated life and friendship

HindistonvaO’zbekistondo’stonaaloqalariqadirli.  Raj Kapoor instinctively knew that.  Who would not remember the friendship of BobomurodHamdamov and Raj Kapoor.  He in one of his interviews during his visit to Tashkent said something that captures the essence of what he felt for people of Uzbekistan.  And I quote him, he said that he was grateful for the affection that he received from his friends in Uzbekistan and this affection inspired him to make more films to further strengthen India Uzbekistan Dostana. Such golden words and such priceless vision! Today as our two countries have forged a Strategic Partnership and are establishing cooperation in every area, we must also recognize the role of stalwarts like Raj Kapoor, whose contribution to this everlasting friendship has been immense. No wonder my Prime Minister in his recent meeting with the family of Raj Kapoor had urged that Central Asia be given special focus when it comes to films and Raj Kapoor’s legacy. I would request Mrs. Neila Kapoor, Mrs. Kanchan Desai and Mr. Umesh Mehra to kindly continue to focus in Uzbekistan in line with our Prime Minister’s direction.

Also, can’t thank enough Director of Cinematography Agency Mr. Shukhratullah, his team and to Indian delegation for visiting Tashkent. I also thank our Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for their generous support in organizing this event. I am thankful to my Indologist friends for the work they have carried out since several decades on Shri Raj Kapoor.

The year ends on high note as we commemorate Raj Kapoor’s legacy in Uzbekistan – we look forward to having more such events connecting people on two sides.

As we approach new year let me convey my best wishes to all of you. Hammangizgayangiyilmuborakbo’lsin.

Ambassador’s remarks at Office Opening Ceremony of MSN-Remedies LLC, subsidiary of MSN Laboratories Pvt. Ltd., India April 24, 2025

I am glad to be here at the opening of the office of MSN remedies in Tashkent. Also happy that it’s happening at a time when India-Uzbekistan relations are on a high trajectory in every area and health and pharma sectors being one of the most important ones. Also glad to note that our pharma sector is further strengthening its ties with Uzbekistan with emphasis on moving beyond trade to investments, capacity building and R and D. Last year we had the biggest pharma delegation visit Uzbekistan of over 90 companies and they are keen to partner with Uzbekistan – a country with a growing population base and rising economy and more importantly a nation with which we share strategic partnership energised by warm ties.

MSN group is one of the fastest growing pharma companies and after having established presence in Kazakhstan have entered the Uzbek landscape. My good wishes to them.  India’s pharmaceutical industry ranks third globally in pharmaceutical production by volume.  We have a resilient domestic sector of approximately 3,000 drug companies and over 10,500   manufacturing units. We are the world’s largest provider of generic medicines, with a 20 percent global supply share. There have been significant success stories be it access to affordable HIV treatment or being one of the biggest suppliers of low-cost vaccines in the world. The total market size of the Indian Pharma Industry is expected to reach US$ 130 billion by 2030 and US$ 450 billion market by 2047.India has the largest number of USFDA-compliant pharmaceutical plants outside the US and over 2,000 WHO-GMP approved facilities, serving demand from 150+ countries worldwide. All this offers huge scope for cooperation especially when we speak of access to good quality and affordable medicines. We are also in discussion on recognition of Indian pharmacopeia in Uzbekistan which will ensure access to quality Indian medical products at affordable costs.

As I said that apart from trade, India will be happy to encourage more investments into Pharma sector in Uzbekistan.  Some of the companies do feel that cost of production could be more in Uzbekistan but I am certain that with incentives and benefits to be accrued to investors, Indian companies are finding Uzbekistan a viable destination to invest. I also see tremendous potential in cooperation in traditional medicines. The Ayurveda market in India is anticipated to grow substantially, reaching an estimated value of US$ 16.27 billion by 2028. I have always felt that there is so much we can do together especially when it comes to serving our people be better and affordable health care sustainable living, skill development and resource building. As two countries of global south committed to development of their people and guided by the Vision of Hon’ble PM Modi and President Mirziyoyev, we must continue to learn from each other and grow and prosper together.

Ambassador’s speech at the Inauguration of International Conference titled “Artificial Intelligence and Computer Technologies: Practices, Experiences, Challenges and Prospects in Denau Institute of Entrepreneurship and Pedagogy

I am glad to be here and participate on an issue which is topical, important as we see rapid strides being made in AI and as my PM Shri Narendra Modi has said, is “re-shaping our polity, our economy, our security, our society and writing the code for humanity in this century”.

I am also glad that the conversations on AI are taking place in Denau University of entrepreneurship and Pedagogy which in just five years has been able to make a huge mark for itself. It has fostered an environment of innovation and research and I had the good fortune of visiting this temple like institution yesterday and was witness to the amazing transformative concepts that the university is implementing. Our Rector has played a crucial role in this and kudos to his and his team.

Coming on the aspect of AI. We in India, as a developing nation, and as member of global south like Uzbekistan, feel that AI must be inclusive. It should be rooted in realities of our daily lives and should be free from biases. Democratization of technology is important and its approach should be development of people. So, people centric applications will remain our focus as we aspire to become a global AI powerhouse, leveraging cutting-edge technology for growth, governance, and progress.

Our natural advantage is a young talented population and an environment that is fostering innovation.  Considerable amount of work in terms of policy research capacity building is already happening.

India will be happy to share its experience and expertise with the world.  This is also the vision of our National AI Mission. You would all recall that during our G20 Presidency, we had built a consensus on Harnessing AI Responsibly, for Good, and for All. It needs to be safe and also trusted. Our PM Narendra Modi at the AI Action Summit in Paris in February also highlighted the need for addressing challenges relating to cyber security, disinformation, and deep fakes and for technology to be rooted in local ecosystems to be effective and useful.

Given the scale of work being done in India, Stanford University has ranked India among the top four countries in the Global and National AI vibrancy ranking based on 42 indicators. In the Stanford AI Index 2024, India ranked first in the AI skill penetration segment.

In a nutshell, India’s approach will be inclusive, development and improved governance, with focus on innovation and homegrown solutions and willingness to share   towards international AI advancement. In the heart of our efforts, humanity and shared human values will continue to guide our approach.

I think both India and Uzbekistan with a young talent base and desire to grow and empower people can contribute by having more exchanges between our startups, our universities and our two governments. We also need to ensure a truly level playing field so that AI is not just confined to a privileged few or dominated by global tech giants. Therefore, I value the role Denau University is playing by holding an interaction on this important issue.

I also want to mention that apart from AI, we have been cooperating on several other initiatives including culture exchanges, capacity building through our ITEC programme and I am glad to note that already we have had 20 candidates from Denau University visit India. We also feel that we can have more meaningful exchanges on the region and on issues relating to sustainability, green energy water management etc.

I wish all of you attending the conference all success and productive discussions.