‘Next 25 years belong to Viksit Bharat’: Jaishankar at OTV Foresight 2026

Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar on Tuesday struck a confident and forward-looking note while addressing OTV Foresight 2026, asserting that India stands out among nations as it looks to the future with a ‘fair degree of optimism’ at a time when much of the world is grappling with uncertainty.

Reflecting on the passage of time, Jaishankar noted that humanity has already completed 25 percent of the 21st century.

“2025 is over. As we look ahead, we are among the nations in the world who do that with a fair degree of optimism. The feeling that we have today in India is not something that is shared in many other parts of the world,” he observed.

Optimism About Development In Next 25 Years

The External Affairs Minister attributed this optimism to the cumulative impact of development over the last decade. He said the country is at a defining moment where multiple strands of progress are converging.

“All the development that has happened in the last 10–12 years is coming together. We can feel that moment now. The country is getting prepared to move to the next goal. There are challenges, but we have that optimism,” he said.

Highlighting the confidence of India’s youth, Jaishankar noted that many young people in the country believe their lives will be better in the next 10 years, an outlook that is not universal across the world.

“Believe me, not every youngster feels the same in every other nation. But I am very confident and optimistic about youths in our country,” he said, crediting this sentiment to sustained governance and policy continuity over the past decade.

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Jaishankar also underscored the scale of India’s infrastructure expansion, pointing to visible changes in daily life. He said the number of airports built in the last decade has doubled, while road infrastructure has seen dramatic improvement compared to 10–15 years ago.

“There are other developed countries, but our railways are way better than theirs. We have actually doubled the number of airports in the last decase,” he remarked.

Educational Institutions Built In Last 10 Years Equal To Previous 70 Years

Education and healthcare featured prominently in his address. Jaishankar said schools and colleges have seen significant upgrades, with Odisha cited as an example of notable progress.

He added that the number of educational institutions established in the last 10 years is nearly equal to those built over the previous 70 years, and how many medical and engineering colleges have been built,” he said, pointing to the scale of investment in human capital.

Looking ahead, the minister framed India’s long-term vision around the idea of Viksit Bharat, or a developed India, over the next 25 years.

“Our dreams in the past were much smaller, like eradicating poverty. Now we can say we have Chandrayaan, Covid vaccines were almost free, and semiconductors are happening," he stated. 

India's Growing Role As Global Talent Supplier

Jaishankar also spoke about India’s growing role as a supplier of global talent. He noted the increasing presence of Indians abroad and described the country as being prepared to contribute to a global workforce.

“Whenever we board a plane, we find most of them are Indians,” he said, highlighting the nation’s demographic and skill advantage.

Outlining key pillars of development, the External Affairs Minister stressed that Viksit Bharat must be built on better health, education, and nutrition. He pointed to welfare initiatives such as monthly food support for 80 crore people, housing for 20 crore beneficiaries, and India’s emergence as one of the world’s most digitised societies through widespread cashless payments.

Turning to the future, Jaishankar said technology—and particularly artificial intelligence—will increasingly shape everyday life. Expressing strong confidence in the country’s trajectory, he concluded, “I have every confidence we will be a Viksit Bharat in the decades to come, and it will be visible in the next 25 years.”

His remarks at OTV Foresight 2026 offered a comprehensive snapshot of India’s present momentum and its aspirations for the decades ahead, reinforcing a narrative of confidence, continuity, and ambition on the global stage.