- By Anushka Vats
- Thu, 31 Aug 2023 08:02 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
India is all set to host the G20 Summit that is to take place in the national capital from September 9-10. The mega event will witness a presence of several world leaders. With the event, India will showcase its rich culture and diversity during its presidency.
Meanwhile, ahead of the meeting, Mukesh Pardeshi, who is the Special Secretary and the head of operations and logistics of India’s G20 secretariat, spoke updated about the ongoing preparations.
"We are 10 days away from the event, an event we have been preparing from Day 1. We took over the presidency of G20 on December 1 last year, and since then we have been preparing for this mega event, the Leader’s Summit…G20 comprises 19 countries and the European Union. Plus, we have given special invitations to nine more countries and some international organisations. There will be approximately 40 plus delegations that will arrive at the leader’s level," Pardeshi said.
"So, we will have Presidents, Prime Ministers, Foreign Ministers and top officials of different delegations, representing different countries. We are gearing up, we are giving final shape to the programme," he added.
The Special Secretary also mentioned that New Delhi has a twin agenda to showcase Indian culture, crafts and cuisine. He added that an experience panel has been created for delegates to experience how UPI payments are made, how the CoWin app was developed and how 1 billion people were connected with Aadhar.
Pardeshi further informed that a variety of different dishes are being prepared to showcase the regional cuisine of the country, and street foods of India, as well as giving exposure to millets.
"That's part of you have seen the G20 meetings focusing on three C's. But there is one unmistakable aspect of our approach. We are going to showcase progress in the field of the digital sector. So there'll be an…experience zone created to showcase the progress we have achieved in the field of technological transformation, particularly digital transformation," he said.
He further added, "There will be some experience panels created for delegates to experience, for instance how UPI payment is done. People will get to know about biometric enrolment was done and 1 billion people were connected through Aadhar. How the CoWin app was developed. Not everybody is able to understand how India has been able to leapfrog in the sector of digital payment. So we want to showcase the modern face of India as well".
According to Pradhan, there will be a gala dinner on September 9, followed by a cultural programme, mostly the musical programme, including young artists.
He further said that as per the directive from the political leadership, New Delhi has to only promote the G20 substantive agenda, but also showcase to the world that India is not behind any country in terms of organizational skills and logistical strengths.
(With inputs from ANI)
