Time has come to expand UNSC with India as a permanent member: Rajnath

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday pitched for expanding the United Nations Security Council with India as a permanent member, and said the time has come for making UN bodies "more democratic and representative of the current realities of our age".

Addressing a gathering at a seminar held here to mark 75 years of the United Nations (UN) Peacekeeping, he also said that when India, the most populous nation of the world, does not find a seat as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, "it tends to undermine the moral legitimacy" of the global organisation.

Singh made the remarks in the presence of UN Resident Coordinator in India, Shombi Sharp, who shared the dais with him.

In his address, the defence minister also underlined that the "challenges being seen by peacekeepers continue to evolve, demanding innovative approaches, and enhanced cooperation among the responsible nations", adding that "we must invest in training, technology and resources to ensure safety and ...