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By:

Akhilesh Sinha

25 June 2025 at 2:53:54 pm

India's multi-align diplomacy triumphs

New Delhi: West Asia has transformed into a battlefield rained by fireballs. Seas or land, everywhere echoes the roar of cataclysmic explosions, flickering flames, and swirling smoke clouds. et amid such adversity, Indian ships boldly waving the Tricolour navigate the strait undeterred, entering the Arabian Sea. More remarkably, Iran has sealed its airspace to global flights but opened it for the safe evacuation of Indians.   This scene evokes Prime Minister Narendra Modi's memorable 2014...

India's multi-align diplomacy triumphs

New Delhi: West Asia has transformed into a battlefield rained by fireballs. Seas or land, everywhere echoes the roar of cataclysmic explosions, flickering flames, and swirling smoke clouds. et amid such adversity, Indian ships boldly waving the Tricolour navigate the strait undeterred, entering the Arabian Sea. More remarkably, Iran has sealed its airspace to global flights but opened it for the safe evacuation of Indians.   This scene evokes Prime Minister Narendra Modi's memorable 2014 interview. He stated that "there was a time when we counted waves from the shore; now the time has come to take the helm and plunge into the ocean ourselves."   In a world racing toward conflict, Modi has proven India's foreign policy ranks among the world's finest. Guided by 'Nation First' and prioritising Indian safety and interests, it steadfastly embodies  'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' , the world as one family.   Policy Shines Modi's foreign policy shines with such clarity and patience that even as war flames engulf West Asian nations, Indians studying and working there return home safe. In just 13 days, nearly 100,000 were evacuated from Gulf war zones, mostly by air, some via Armenia by road. PM Modi talked with Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian to secure Iran's airspace for the safe evacuation of Indians, a privilege denied to any other nation. Additionally, clearance was granted for Indian ships carrying crude oil and LPG to pass safely through the Hormuz Strait. No other country's vessels are navigating these waters, except for those of Iran's ally, China. The same strategy worked in the Ukraine-Russia war: talks with both presidents ensured safe corridors, repatriating over 23,000 students and businessmen. Iran, Israel, or America, all know India deems terrorism or war unjustifiable at any cost. PM Modi amplified anti-terror campaigns from UN to global platforms, earning open support from many nations.   Global Powerhouse Bolstered by robust foreign policy and economic foresight, India emerges as a global powerhouse, undeterred by tariff hurdles. Modi's adept diplomacy yields notable successes. Contrast this with Nehru's era: wedded to Non-Aligned Movement, he watched NAM member China seize vast Ladakh territory in war. Today, Modi's government signals clearly, India honors friends, spares no foes. Abandoning non-alignment, it embraces multi-alignment: respecting sovereignties while prioritizing human welfare and progress. The world shifts from unipolar or bipolar to multipolar dynamics.   Modi's policy hallmark is that India seal defense deals like the S-400 and others with Russia yet sustains US friendship. America bestows Legion of Merit; Russia, its highest civilian honor, Order of St. Andrew the Apostle. India nurtures ties with Israel, Palestine, Iran via bilateral talks. Saudi Arabia stands shoulder-to-shoulder across fronts; UAE trade exceeds $80 billion. UN's top environment award, UNEP Champions of the Earth, graces India, unlike past when foreign nations campaigned against us on ecological pretexts.   This policy's triumph roots in economic empowerment. India now ranks the world's fourth-largest economy, poised for third in 1-2 years. The 2000s dubbed it 'fragile'; then-PM economist Dr. Manmohan Singh led. Yet  'Modinomics'  prevailed. As COVID crippled supply chains, recession loomed, inflation soared and growth plunged in developed countries,  Modinomics  made India the 'bright star.' Inflation stayed controlled, growth above 6.2 per cent. IMF Chief Economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas praised it, advising the world to learn from India.

Mumbai Moves Toward Unified Commuter Experience

Mumbai’s metro today is a testament to the collective effort of multiple agencies—MMOPL, MMMOCL, MMRDA, MMRCL, Maha Metro, and CIDCO, each contributing to a network that’s rapidly redefining how the city moves. From where I stand in the mobility space, the next big leap is clear: bringing these strong systems even closer together so the experience feels unified, intuitive, and truly designed around the commuter.


I see the unification of metro rail operations across the MMR as a major turning point for Mumbai, one that will fundamentally upgrade the daily experience of lakhs of commuters. This move is more than administrative restructuring; it’s a shift toward a commuter-first mindset. When agencies unify, planning strengthens, operations simplify, and commuting becomes smoother for everyone.


Today, the real challenge isn’t traveling on the metro, it’s transitioning between lines. Every interchange forces commuters to pause: open an app, load the QR section, regenerate a ticket, complete payment, repeat. On average, commuters spend 20–40 seconds just to book a single ticket—opening an app, waiting for it to load, selecting stations, generating a QR, and completing payment. Add an interchange, and that jumps to 60–90 seconds per transfer. For someone switching lines twice a day, that’s 10–15 minutes lost every week, nearly 10 hours a year, time spent not traveling but booking tickets.


Now imagine if all of that friction simply disappeared. With the unification of metro agencies, commuters will be able to book once and move across the network without any pause, no restarting, no multiple QRs, no switching between different interfaces.


Around the world, cities that unified their metro agencies and ticketing, like Singapore’s SimplyGo and London’s Oyster/contactless, saw a dramatic shift in how people moved. Integration made networks feel simpler, transfers smoother, and ticketing almost invisible. Commuters didn’t have to decode systems; they just traveled. Mumbai is now moving in that same direction, and the impact on daily riders will be significant.


At Yatri, the official Mumbai local app, we’re deeply rooted in the city’s mobility landscape and fully aligned with this future. Our goal is simple: to make travel effortless. Whether it’s providing live train locations, simplifying metro ticketing, or moving toward a unified travel experience. We believe commuters deserve a system that respects their time and delivers real convenience every single day.


I believe this unification of metro systems will change the rhythm of daily travel for lakhs of commuters. A connected city isn’t just easier to navigate, it gives back people their time, their ease, and their dignity while moving through it. And at Yatri, we’re committed to supporting this shift and building experiences that make every commute simpler, faster, and more unified for every Mumbaikar.


(The writer is a Co-Founder of Yatri. Views personal.)

 

 

 

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