SAMARKAND: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his speech at the 22nd Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit on Friday that the SCO's role is crucial as the globe struggles to recover economically from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The bloc contributes to 30 percent of global GDP, said the prime minister,  and 40% of the world's population lives in member nations.

He continued by saying that the ongoing Ukrainian crisis and the global pandemic had caused supply networks to become disrupted, resulting in previously unheard-of energy and food shortages.

Therefore, the SCO should strive to develop "reliable, resilient and diversified" supply chains in the region, the prime minister added.

The country is moving closer to being a manufacturing hub, the prime minister said besides announcing the formation of a new working group on startups and innovation. The largest economy in the world, he said, India's economy is predicted to increase by 7.5% this year.

\He also discussed the issue of food security, which he described as a big difficulty, and made the argument that millets may be grown and eaten as a potential answer. Millets, which the prime minister referred to as a "superfood," may offer a cheap and nutrient-dense solution to the world's food shortage.

The UN International Year of Millets will be observed in 2023, and Modi said, "We should consider holding a 'Millet Food Festival' under SCO."

In his address, he also pointed out that  India as one of the most affordable countries for medical and fitiness tourism and urged the SCO member nations to cooperate in the field of traditional medicine.

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