Page 39 - G20

India knows importance of eco growth: Barry O' Farrell on G20 presidency

India recently became the world's fifth-largest economy by overtaking the United Kingdom

G20 to be tourism ministry's focus in 2023, first meet likely in late Jan

From showcasing Incredible India visiting delegates to positioning the country as a major travel destination during its year-long presidency, G20 will be the Union Tourism ministry's focus area in 2023. India assumed the presidency of the influential bloc on December 1, setting the tone for the ministry's calendar this year. More than 200 meetings will be held across 55 locations, culminating with the annual G20 summit on September 9-10. The Tourism ministry is geared up to put its best foot forward and showcase to the guests from different countries the cultural heritage and culinary delights of India. The first G20 meeting -- the Sherpa meet -- was held in the first week of December in Rajasthan's Udaipur. From artistic murals to decking up of heritage sites with lights, the old city played the perfect host as iconic buildings were chosen as venues, besides sightseeing to Kumbhalgarh Fort -- a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Preparations for the G20 meetings are underway and the fi

The jobs & technology trade-off

Do we need to curb technology that replaces jobs? The jury is out

Russia's war could make it India's world

The invasion of Ukraine, compounding the effects of the pandemic, has contributed to the ascent of a giant that defies easy alignment. It could be the decisive force in a changing global system

India's G20 Presidency 'very big deal': EAM Jaishankar to critics

Terming India's G20 Presidency a very big deal, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said the country has taken up the responsibility to host the meetings of the powerful grouping at a time when there is great economic stress on the global supply chains and strong political polarisation in the world. India formally assumed the G20 Presidency on December 1. The next G20 Leaders' Summit at the level of Heads of State/Government is scheduled to be held on September 9 and 10 in New Delhi. Addressing the members of the Indian diaspora here in the Austrian capital on Sunday, Jaishankar said India intends to use its presidency for the benefit of the international community. I sometimes get the question, you can imagine from which quarters, saying, well, it was bound to come your way anyway. So, what's the big deal? It is a very big deal. Because in our diplomatic history, we have never had this many powerful nations, the top 20 economies of the world who among them today account for

G20: MCD marks 257 roads for repair in Delhi, to fix potholes on 40 streets

Nearly 260 streets and roads in Delhi have been identified for repairs as part of the civic authority's efforts to spruce up the national capital for next year's G20 summit and meetings. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has also started to decorate the city with thematic murals to enhance its look and feel. Nearly 257 roads and streets in 12 zones that require repairs have been identified. The MCD will also repair drains along with the roads, wherever required, a senior official said on Saturday. The repair work has been taken up "on a war footing," the MCD said in a statement. The civic body has accelerated work on the repair of roads and streets, keeping in view the G20 meetings to be held in Delhi in March, and the summit in September 2023, the official said. The MCD has identified 23 roads in the Najafgarh zone, 14 in the West zone, 15 in the Shahdara North zone, 27 in the Keshavpuram zone, 53 in the Karol Bagh zone and 15 in the Narela zone, among others, that require

India's presidencies in SCO, G20 to strengthen world stability: Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday voiced confidence that India's presidencies of the SCO and G20 will build multi-dimensional cooperation between the two countries and will strengthen the stability and security in Asia and the entire world. While India formally assumed the G20 Presidency on December 1, it took over the rotating presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on September 16. In his New Year messages to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Putin noted that Russia and India marked the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic relations in 2022 and, relying on positive traditions of friendship and mutual respect, the countries continue to develop their specially privileged strategic partnership, the Kremlin said in a statement. Putin said the two countries carried out large-scale trade and economic projects in addition to energy, military technology and other areas of cooperation, and coordinated efforts in addressing important matte

Lunch with BS: 'G20 is about thinking and acting big', says Amitabh Kant

From tourism to development to projecting India's soft power to the world, Kant tells Ruchika Chitravanshi and Nivedita Mookerji that G20 is about thinking and acting big

India to take up affordability of energy, foodgrains issue at G20 strongly

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday underlined that during its G20 presidency, India intends to take up the issue of affordability and accessibility to energy, foodgrains and fertilisers "very strongly" as the economies of the Global South have been impacted. India formally assumed the G20 Presidency on December 1. The next G20 Leaders' Summit at the level of Heads of State/Government is scheduled to be held on September 9 and 10 next year in New Delhi. Addressing a business event here, Jaishankar, who is on his first official visit to Cyprus as India and Cyprus celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations, noted that the efficiency and the delivery of global supply chains is a common concern today for all countries in the world. Today the affordability and accessibility to energy, foodgrains and fertilisers is "not just our concern...it's a larger concern in the Global South. And it's certainly a worry that we intend to take up very strongly during the presidency of the

India likely to ban unbacked crypto assets, stablecoins and DeFi, says RBI

Under G20 presidency, one of priorities is to develop framework for global regulation, including possibility of prohibition of unbacked crypto, stablecoins and DeFi, Reserve Bank of India has stressed

India's soft power on display through non-stop cultural calendar in 2022

2022 was a year when the government used India's soft power diplomacy both at home and abroad to create a non-stop cultural calendar of events for 365 days. While it appealed to the sense of pride and patriotism of the domestic population by urging them to be part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, a series of events to celebrate 75 years of Indian independence, it highlighted the country's rich culture and heritage to the global audience. In a testament to the scale of these engagements, the culture ministry held more than 136000 events under Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav including several mega programmes such as Har Ghar Tiranga. The campaign reached 23 crore households and six crore 'Selfie with Tiranga' were also registered digitally. The official website also had a feature of 'Pin a Flag', which accumulated more than five crore entries. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) also undertook various activities as part of Har Ghar Tiranga which included hoisting of high flag mast of 15 m

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw unveils digital innovation alliance for G20

The minister also launched "stay safe online" campaign, with the aim of digitally transforming the global economy in a secure cyber environment

New Delhi Municipal Council make arrangements in run-up to G20 Summit

A food festival, flower show, fun runs and live music -- the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) is going all out in its arrangements for the general public and foreign dignitaries in the build-up to next year's G20 Summit. The NDMC has assigned around Rs 60 to 100 crore for preparations in the city ahead of the G20 meetings that began in March. The money will be used for the improvement of road infrastructure, electrical infrastructure, horticulture and to hold events. Presenting the NDMC Budget for Financial Year 2023-2024, the civic body chairman Amit Yadav highlighted various initiatives taken by the council to make the city ready for the G20 meetings. "The FY 2023-24 is going to be special with the presidency of G20 coming to India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The NDMC is quickly taking up a comprehensive beautification of flyovers, roundabouts with sculptures by eminent artists, reflecting our art consciousness," Yadav said. "We have assigned Rs 60 to

S Jaishankar beefs up preparations for G20, all ministries on board

Aiming for the success of G20 summit next year, Union Minister for External Affairs S. Jaishankar especially addressed the Spokespersons, Panelists and media coordinators on G20

Sikkim should showcase organic farming expertise to G20 delegates: Chamling

Former Sikkim chief minister Pawan Kumar Chamling has urged the Prem Singh Tamang government to showcase the state's organic farming prowess during two scheduled G20 events in this popular tourist destination in March 2023. "Sikkim has been a world leader in taking up organic farming in a big way during the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) rule, Chamling said in a social media post. Given the underlying benefits of organic farming for the economy and health, the state government should showcase that for the visiting delegates at the G20 events to be held in the Himalayan state in March 2023, the SDF president said. Not only the farmers of Sikkim have benefitted financially by undertaking organic farming, it has been emulated by other states, too, Chamling, a five-term chief minister from 1994 to 2019, said. Chamling had launched organic farming in Sikkim two decades ago, officials said. In November, Indonesia had handed over the G20 presidency to India for the coming year at the Bali

G20: Beggars at Kashmere Gate ISBT to be shifted to night shelters in Jan

More than 1,000 beggars living in the Hanuman Mandir area near the Kashmere Gate ISBT will be shifted to night shelters in January in view of the G20 Summit to be held here in September next year, according to officials. The city government had, on December 15, asked the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) to remove and relocate the beggars living in the area. A four-member committee under the DUSIB chief engineer was constituted to coordinate with government agencies, including the deputy commissioner of police of the district concerned, and prepare an action plan for shifting these people to night shelters. "More than 1,000 beggars have been identified during a survey conducted in the area on Wednesday and Thursday," a DUSIB official told PTI. These people will be shifted to night shelters by the first week of January. The differently-abled beggars would be taken to institutional care facilities and the child welfare committees of the women and child development departm

5 Ellora caves to be illuminated with LED lights ahead of G20-related event

Five caves at the Ellora world heritage site in Maharashtra's Aurangabad district will be illuminated with LED lights and the Archaeological Survey of India will try to complete the work before the city hosts a G20-related event, a senior ASI official has said. The 'first inception meet' of Women 20 (W20) as part of India's presidency of G20 will be held in the city on February 13-14, 2023. The Women 20, an official G20 engagement group, was set up in 2015 to ensure gender considerations figure in G20 discussions. The ASI has already put up lights in various Ajanta caves for visitors to see the paintings made there between 400 and 650 CE, an official said on Wednesday. ASI's superintendent archaeologist Milan Kumar Chauley told PTI that they will also illuminate the inside portions of Ellora cave numbers 5, 10, 16, 29 and 32 which have paintings and sculptures. Chauley said they will try to finish the work before the G20-related event in Aurangabad in February next year. "The lig

Hospitality industry set for buoyant 2023, cashes India's G20 presidency

The domestic hospitality industry is looking to 'fly' in 2023 cashing in on India's G20 presidency, having received the 'oxygen' to run in 2022 after being crippled in the past two years by the pandemic. Domestic travel, especially the leisure segment, gave wind to the industry this year and is expected to continue into the next. Industry players believe that as international arrivals are also likely to pick up even further, the outlook for 2023 is buoyant. However, for travellers, room tariffs are likely to remain high going forward, with a demand-supply mismatch continuing in the hospitality sector. "I think it's really safe to say that we have overcome the real difficult period. I don't think any one of us can deny that it was really difficult, in all terms -- occupancies, daily average rates and revenue per available room (during the pandemic)," Hotel Association of India Vice President KB Kachru told PTI. "But, I'm really happy to state that post-COVID, we have really bounced

G20: DUSIB, Delhi Police officials meet to plan relocation of beggars

A meeting was held on Saturday by the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) to chalk out a plan to remove and relocate beggars from the Hanuman Mandir area near the Kashmere Gate ISBT to night shelters, officials said. In view of the upcoming G20 Summit, the Delhi government issued directions on Thursday to remove and relocate the beggars from the Hanuman Mandir area. The meeting was held with the social welfare department as well as Delhi Police to discuss the rescue drive of the beggars. DUSIB member Bipin Rai said facilities that are provided at the government shelter homes, will also be provided to the beggars once they are relocated. "First, we will map the beggars and hold surveys to understand how many of them are there near the Kashmere Gate ISBT. We will also find out the number of family members of the beggars and proceed with the plan accordingly," he said earlier. A four-member committee, under the chief engineer of DUSIB, has been constituted to coordinate wit

2022 in Review: Events that defined India's relations with the world

India's geopolitical influence grew significantly in the year 2022. Let's take a look at some of the top events that defined India's relations with the world: