India has a major role to tackle emerging challenges: Aiyer

Puducherry, Apr 15 (UNI) Union Panchayati Raj Minister Manishankar Aiyar today asserted that India has a major role to play in tackling emerging challenges in the South Asian Regional Cooperation.

Inaugurating the two-day national seminar on ''emerging challenges in South Asian Regional Cooperation'' organised by the department of politics and international studies of the Pondicherry university here, Mr Aiyar said 'we need to face new challenges.' He said if climate change takes place as predicted, Maldivies would not be there after some decades.

Explaining in detail about the historical events in Asia, he said the failure of Asia to practice as an Asian unity was a sad affair.

Lauding the initiatives taken in Puducherry, Mr Aiyar said Puducherry must become South Asia what Santhinikethan was to Asia.

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