G20 Summit: Preparations in full swing at Delhi's The Lalit Hotel

As New Delhi gears up to host world leaders at the G20 Summit under India's Presidency, many of the top hotels have been booked to welcome the delegates for the event. One such is The Lalit Hotel, where the preparations are in full swing.

Sharing details regarding the welcome planned for delegates, the hotel manager of The Lalit Hotel said that they will welcome them with Indian traditional folk music.

Speaking to ANI, the hotel manager, The Lalit Hotel, said, "We will welcome the delegates with Indian traditional folk music. When they will enter the lobby, they will be welcomed with 'Aarti' and 'Tika' followed by Vaijanti Mala, which is a very auspicious, ...rudraksh considered for health and prosperity. We have planned a special welcome which is not done by another other hotel across the city or across the country."

"This is our special team of DEI - diversity and inclusivity. We have a large workforce from the marginalized community, people with certain disabilities who are differently abled hearing speech, autism, plus people from the trans-community, and LGBT community. So, we have a very large workforce and we are working very hard to build that workforce. So a special welcome will be done by them in sign language for all the dignitaries who are entering into the hotel," he told ANI.

Speaking to ANI, Ravi Kant, Hotel Chef said, "We have merged Japanese food into the Indian version. We have made Indian rotis in Baluchi. We have galoti kebabs, fenugreek spinach vegetable. We have made a proper millet counter in coffee shop where we will serve desserts, starters, salads. We have a particular focus on millet."

He added, "We have been training chefs for the past six months. We are taking special care of hygiene. My whole team is excited to welcome foreign delegates."

India is all set to host the G20 Summit scheduled to be held in New Delhi from September 9-10. World leaders will arrive in New Delhi to attend the G20 Summit. Notably, India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1 last year and about 200 meetings related to G20 were organized in 60 cities across the country.

The 18th G20 Heads of State and Government Summit in New Delhi will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies. A G20 Leaders' Declaration will be adopted at the conclusion of the New Delhi Summit, stating Leaders' commitment towards the priorities discussed and agreed upon during the respective ministerial and working group meetings.

Muktesh Pardeshi, who is the Special Secretary and the head of operations and logistics of India's G20 secretariat, in an exclusive interview with ANI said that New Delhi is geared up with its preparations for the summit.

Speaking to ANI, Muktesh Pardeshi said, "We are 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."

"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 said 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. He also informed that the catering at the Convention Centre is being done by the ITC and there is a lot of focus on cuisine, menu planning as well and service aspects.

"The catering at the Convention Centre is done by the ITC which is a leading hotel chain. They have created a large team comprising chefs and other associates to not only have the menu ready but also the service experience impeccable. So there's a lot of focus on both the cuisine, the menu planning as well as the service aspect. And we have selected one of the best hotel chains for the purpose you want them to explore the street food of India," he said.

Muktesh Pardeshi said that the G20 Summit will have three sessions and all these sessions will be held around the theme of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. He said that India will hand over the G20 Presidency to Brazil in the concluding session on September 10.