What is Raisina Dialogue?

• The Raisina Dialogue is an annual conference held in New Delhi, envisioned to be India’s flagship conference of geopolitics and geo-economics.
• The conference, organized like the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, is held jointly by Ministry of External Affairs, India and the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), an independent think tank based in India.
• Its inaugural session was held from March 1 through 3rd in 2016.

Why the name Raisina?

The conference name comes from Raisina Hill, the elevation in New Delhi, which is the location of both the Government of India as well as the presidential palace of India, Rashtrapati Bhavan, which inspired the design of the conference symbol.

• The theme of the first dialogue was “Connecting Asia” which tries to capture the various facets of this ambition.
• This conference is structured as a multi-stakeholder, cross-sectorial conclave, involving policy and decision makers, including cabinet ministers from various Governments, high-level Government officials and policy practitioners, leading personalities from business and industry, and members of the strategic community, media and academia.

Highlights of Modi’s Speech

• The world needs India’s sustained rise as much as it needs world’s rise. India’s economic and political rise represents a regional and global opportunity of great significance.
• There is a need to guard against any instinct or inclination that promotes exclusion especially in Asia. The  multi-polarity of the world and an increasingly multi-polar Asia is a dominant fact today and India welcomes it.
• The rise of India and China is an unprecedented economic opportunity for the two countries and for the whole world.
• On relations with Pakistan, Modi said Pakistan must walk away from terrorism if it wants dialogue with India as New Delhi alone cannot walk the path of peace.
• He said, completion of Afghanistan’s Parliament building and India-Afghan friendship dam are two shinning examples of developmental partnership. Mr. Modi said, with Bangladesh, India has achieved greater convergence and political understanding.
• On Indo-US relations, he said, our actions have brought speed, substance and strength to the entire spectrum of economic, commercial, and security engagements between the two nations.
• Institutions and architectures built for a different world seem outdated, posing a barrier to effective multilateralism. He said prosperity of Indians at home and abroad and security of citizens are of paramount importance, but self-interest alone is not part of Indian culture.
• The Prime Minister said, his government follows a path of international engagement focused on rebuilding connectivity, restoring bridges and rejoining India with its immediate and extended neighbourhood. He said, the government is also focusing on making India a human resource power by connecting its talented youth to global needs and opportunities.