President Murmu, PM Modi welcome G20 leaders, delegates at grand dinner

President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday welcomed G20 leaders and delegates at a grand dinner hosted for them at Bharat Mandapam, the venue for the Summit, here.

They welcomed the guests before the start of the dinner at a dais, with its backdrop depicting the ruins of the Nalanda University in Bihar and India's G20 presidency theme -- 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam - One Earth, One Family, One Future'.

Nalanda university ruins, a UNESCO world heritage site in Bihar, was one of the oldest universities of the world.

President Murmu is hosting the ceremonial dinner for the G20 leaders, international delegates and other dignitaries at the Bharat Mandapam.

The newly built international convention and exhibition centre and its verdant lawns dazzled at night with colourful illumination while its gurgling fountains and the 'Nataraja' statue placed on front of the state-of-the-art building created a pretty picture.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director and Chairman Kristalina Georgieva, dressed in Indian traditional attire Salwar Kurta, World Bank President Ajay Banga and his wife Ritu Banga and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina were among the first to arrive at the newly built convention centre in Pragati Maidan.

In a significant milestone under India's G20 presidency, the 55-member African Union on Saturday became a new permanent member of the grouping of the largest economies of the world. It is the first expansion of the influential bloc since its inception in 1999.

All member countries of the G20 accepted Prime Minister Modi's proposal to bring the key bloc of the Global South to the high table of the world's top economies.

Earlier in the day, the President has said that India's G20 Presidency theme, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam - One Earth, One Family, One Future', is a global roadmap for sustainable, inclusive, and human-centric development.

"A warm welcome to all Heads of Delegations of the G20 nations, guest countries, and international organisations participating in the 18th G20 Summit in New Delhi," Murmu had said in a post on X.

The G20 Summit began at the Bharat Mandapam on Saturday and will conclude on Sunday.