At SCO summit, PM Modi calls for transit access among member nations

Samarkand, Sep 16: At the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday urged member countries to grant each other transit rights for better connectivity, so that the region develops reliable and diversified supply chains.

PM Modi's call for providing transit access comes amid Pakistan's reluctance to give India such facilities for sending goods to war-torn Afghanistan.

Addressing the global leaders, PM Modi said there is a need for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to develop reliable, resilient and diversified supply chains in the region in the backdrop of disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the Ukraine crisis.

He said that India supports mutual trust and cooperation among SCO countries.

"The pandemic and the crisis in Ukraine have caused many disruptions in global supply chains, leaving the world facing unprecedented energy and food crises," he said.

"The SCO should strive to develop reliable, resilient and diversified supply chains in our region. For this, better connectivity will be required, as well as it will also be important that we all give full rights of transit to each other," he said.

The Prime Minister said that the government of India is making progress in making itself a manufacturing hub.

"There is a lot of focus on proper use of technology in our people-centric development model," he said.