Showcasing India at G20

India hosts the 18th Global G 20 Summit in New Delhi, under the theme “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam,” a Sanskrit phrase that translates to “One Earth, One Family, One Future”. India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1 last year with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi as the president of the G20. In preparation for the September G20 Summit, the government has held around 200 meetings related to G20 in 60 cities across the country. Delhi looks like a barricaded city as all schools, colleges and offices have been ordered to remain closed from September 8 to September 10 in view of the G20 Summit in the national capital, as Delhi Police along with central forces will be maintaining a hawk-eye vigil during the summit, with the assistance of over 50,000 personnel, K9 dog squads and mounted police. The New Delhi area, which houses the G20 Summit venue and hotels where delegates will be staying, will be put under a tight security ring from Friday morning and there will a slew of traffic restrictions in place, officials said. The main event of the G20 Summit will be held at the magnificent ‘Bharat Mandapam’ centre built at cost of Rs 2700 crore. The ‘Bharat Mandapam’ complex is the centre-piece of the revamped Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. Although authorities have not publicized any specific threat to the event, officials have announced intensive counter-terror measures, including drills and patrols in sensitive locations. The G20 Summit is expected to shift toward a human-centric development approach that aligns with the concerns of the Global South, including addressing climate change, debt restructuring through the G20’s Common Framework for Debt, and a strategy for regulation of global cryptocurrencies A joint declaration of the G20 may be possible on other issues but on the thorny issue such as the Ukraine war it may not be issued since both Russia and China will refuse to accept. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to push forward the agenda of the Global South- a wide of expanse of mostly developing countries, many of them former colonies, in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, Oceania and the Caribbean. Officials say African Union’s inclusion in G20 may happen, giving it voting rights. G20 nations support this proposal, with a final decision pending. It is one of the main agenda items of the Summit. The Global South was proposed in 1980s by former German Chancellor Willy Brandt and has among it India, China and all of those in the northern half of Africa, Australia and New Zealand. The G20 Summit will be another great opportunity for prime minister Narendra Modi to showcase India’s growing geo-economic and political clout and also serve to highlight him at a time when India will be going to the polls in the early party of 2024. Even as Modi plays the role of an emerging global leader and the undisputed Indian leader, the continuing violence and lawlessness in Manipur could throw a spanner in the works including Rahul Gandhi’s tour abroad. Rahul is expected to attack the situation at home under the Modi government during his nearly one week tour of Europe from September 5 . He is expected to hold meetings with European Union (EU) lawyers, students and the Indian diaspora before returning to India on September 11.