India's G20 presidency a "mega national event": Harsh Vardhan Shringla

This event saw the virtual participation of students and leading academicians from 75 universities across the country with top leaders, scholars, and academicians. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will be attending with students and vice-chancellors.

As India assumes the G20 presidency starting today, G-20's India Coordinator, Harsh Vardhan Shringla described this moment as a "mega national event" that presents an opportunity to showcase the country's rich cultural heritage and diversity, tourism potential and development prowess. "India's G20 presidency is a mega national event. Let us come together and participate in it, immerse in it, and propagate it so that it becomes edged into our memories for all times to come," he said at the G20 University Connect - Engaging Young Minds event at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan in New Delhi.

This event saw the virtual participation of students and leading academicians from 75 universities across the country with top leaders, scholars, and academicians. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will be attending with students and vice-chancellors. During his speech, Shringla said the country's G20 presidency is both a unique opportunity and profound responsibility for all Indians. "Indians have a unique opportunity in the presidency of G20 and a profound responsibility to showcase our rich cultural heritage and diversity, tourism potential and development prowess so that the world drives values from its interactions with us," he said.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India's agenda for the Group of Twenty (G20) will be inclusive, ambitious, and action-oriented. In a blog post, he vowed to promote a universal sense of oneness, saying India's priorities will be shaped in consultation with G20 partners and the Global South. He underlined that the great challenges of today like climate change, terrorism, and pandemics, cannot be solved by fighting each other but by acting together.

"India's G20 agenda will be inclusive, ambitious, action-oriented, and decisive. Let us join together to make India's G20 Presidency a Presidency of healing, harmony and hope. Let us work together to shape a new paradigm - of human-centric globalisation," he wrote. During the G-20 Presidency, India will hold about 200 meetings in 32 different sectors in multiple locations across India. The G-20 Summit to be held next year would be one of the highest-profile international gatherings to be hosted by India, according to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

In his blog post, the Prime Minister noted the previous 17 Presidencies of the G20 delivered significant results - for ensuring macro-economic stability, rationalising international taxation, relieving debt-burden on countries, among many other outcomes. However, as India assumes this important mantle, PM Modi asked - "Can the G20 go further still? Can we catalyse a fundamental mindset shift, to benefit humanity as a whole? I believe we can," he added.

Citing India's theme - 'One Earth, One Family, One Future', PM Modi said India's G20 Presidency will work to promote this universal sense of oneness.