With India ready to assume the Presidency of the prestigious G-20 grouping on Thursday for one year, the country will witness a series of events throughout the year including lighting up of 100 monuments with the G-20 logo, a lotus, and other such spectacles.
Besides the cultural extravaganza, India will host nearly 200 meetings of ministers and officials of the G-20 nations at more than 50 places in various parts of the country. The high-profile G-20 summit will be held in New Delhi for two days starting September nine, next year, sources said here on Wednesday.
Delegates from the G-20 nations will also interact with 75 educational institutions besides showcasing G-20 at the Hornbill festival in Nagaland, and sand artist Sudarshan Patnaik etching the 20-nation global forum’s logo on Puri beach.
The government is keen to showcase unique diversity of India and the foreign delegates will be flown to some places so far not frequented much by tourists and others, they said.
The officials meetings including at the ministerial level and those at official and non-governmental levels will take place between December 1, 2022, and November 30, 2023.
With Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to connect all districts and blocks of the country with the G-20, sources said the important meetings will be held in remote parts of the country.
Moreover, as part of the government’s initiative to showcase the ‘One District One Product’ initiative, G20 delegates will be gifted with local products. Products unique to these particular regions and districts will be promoted during those G20 meetings. Also, plans are afoot to include the youth through events such as quiz competitions and talks, cultural programmes and competitions revolving around the G20 summit and its themes.
The Prime Minister on November eight unveiled the logo, theme and website of India’s G-20 Presidency via video conferencing. Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister said from 1st December 2022, India will preside over the G-20 Summit and said it is a historic opportunity for the country.
He said the G-20 is the premier forum for international economic cooperation representing around 85% of the global GDP, over 75% of the worldwide trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.
Calling this a momentous occasion, the Prime Minister said the Presidency of G-20 during the year of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav is a matter of pride for every Indian. The Prime Minister expressed happiness over the growing interest and activities about the G-20 and related events.
Remarking that the G-20 logo is not just any logo, the Prime Minister said it is a message, a feeling that runs in India’s veins. He said, “It is a resolve that has been omnipresent in our thoughts through ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’. He added that the thought of universal brotherhood is being reflected via the G-20 logo.