New Delhi, September 9 (IANS). The G-20 Summit was successfully organized on 9 and 10 September 2023 at ‘Bharat Mandapam’ located at Pragati Maidan in the country’s capital Delhi. In this conference, many heads of state of the world gathered to discuss many issues like economic challenges, climate change.
As the event completed one year on Monday, former Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla recalled the first time India hosted the G20 summit and how the government made every effort to make the event a success.
He spoke about how Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the global event and paid attention to even the smallest details, including suggestions on making the food “simple” for the dignitaries, making it a memorable event for the world leaders.
Harsh Vardhan Shringla, the chief coordinator of the G-20 summit, said that Prime Minister Modi personally oversaw the preparations and gave important suggestions to the organizing team for the success of the summit. He also recalled one of his suggestions, which had a significant impact on this summit.
He said the summit was initially planned to include a grand banquet with a wide range of cuisines and a spectacular cultural programme featuring over 400 artistes.
In a video message, he said, “After hearing the plan, Prime Minister Modi shared his experiences from previous G20 Summits and told us that after a long journey and a busy day, leaders come to dinner tired and just want to relax. They prefer to relax and connect in a spontaneous way rather than being overwhelmed by extravagant arrangements.”
He (PM Modi) suggested that a simple dinner be arranged with minimum distractions. A simple dinner, with some Indian music in the background, will help the guests interact and unwind,” Harsh Vardhan Shringla said, recalling what Prime Minister Modi had said.
Harsh Vardhan Shringla said, “The program was simplified on the advice of Prime Minister Modi. This was one of the reasons why the summit held in New Delhi always became memorable for global leaders.”
Sharing the feedback received from the Japanese Ambassador, he also said, “The Japanese Ambassador told me that in previous G20 Summits, leaders often left the dinner midway due to fatigue. However, in Delhi, the dinner went off smoothly and all the leaders stayed till the last session.”
Former Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla further said that the G-20 summit was a watershed moment in India’s global leadership.
It is worth noting that the 18th G20 summit was held in New Delhi in 2023, which was successfully held at ‘Bharat Mandapam’ under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This was the first G20 summit held in India.
–IANS
SK/ABM
