Union commerce minister Piyush Goyal and external affairs minister S Jaishankar shared a candid and joyful moment as they attended News 18's Rising India Summit 2023 event in Delhi on Wednesday. Goyal took a moment to express his admiration for Jaishankar and showered him with praise saying, “You are a rock star boy!” The two ministers were seen smiling at each other, indicating their companionship and rapport.
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In response, the external affairs minister returned a smile, acknowledging Goyal's praise. Goyal then said in Hindi, “Hum aap ko follow karenge..” which translates to “We will follow you..”
With the same smile, the external affairs minister made some hand gestures that suggested the possibility of a meeting of the duo.
{{/usCountry}}With the same smile, the external affairs minister made some hand gestures that suggested the possibility of a meeting of the duo.
{{/usCountry}}In the event, the external affairs minister was asked about his "social media stardom" and how he felt about it. "The times have now become such that a phrase or sentence that grabs attention is picked frequently," Jaishankar replied with smiling.
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During the event, Jaishankar was also asked about his personal schedule and his secret to staying fit. He responded by sharing his commitment to fitness and how he had made physical exercise a regular habit in his daily routine. The minister revealed that he enjoys playing badminton and squash, in addition to practicing yoga, as part of his fitness regimen.
On the other hand, Piyush Goyal attended a dinner meeting with the 100 delegates attending the G-20 meeting in Mumbai on Wednesday evening, where he was asked about current events concerning the trade agreement. Goyal appeared to imply that talks would continue.
"I can assure you that talks are going on very well with the UK, Canada, with the EU countries, we are also in dialogue with Israel," Goyal said.
On Friday, the commerce minister will unveil India's foreign trade policy, which is expected to outline a vision statement for increasing India's goods and services exports to USD 2 trillion by 2030. The country's total exports are expected to reach USD 760 billion this fiscal year, up from USD 676 billion in 2021-22.