Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 27 said that assuming the G20 presidency was a huge opportunity for India and that the country must utilise it by focusing on global good. He said this during his monthly radio broadcast, “Mann Ki Baat”.
India will officially assume the G20 presidency from the current chair Indonesia on December 1. Speaking on the topic further, Prime Minister Modi said that India was capable of providing solutions to the varied challenges being faced globally.
Opinion | India’s G20 presidency and food security
“India will assume presidentship of powerful grouping G20 on December 1. For India it is a huge opportunity. India must utilise opportunity of G20 leadership by focusing on global good and welfare,” he said. “Be it peace or unity, sensitivity towards environment or sustainable development, India has solution to challenges related to all such things,” he added.
He mentioned that he received a handwoven G20 logo woven by Yeldhi Hariprasad of Sircilla district in Telangana, along with a letter stating that it was a matter of great pride for India to host the G20 Summit next year. “I was very happy to see how connected even a person sitting in a district in Telangana could feel with a summit like G20,” said Prime Minister Modi adding that he had received letters and messages from people across the country expressing similar sentiments.
The G20 comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the U.K., the U.S. and the European Union.
Also read |Welcome pragmatism: On India’s G20 presidency
Prime Minister Modi also spoke about the power of music, and the spread of Indian music. He made a mention of Greek musician Konstantinos Kalaitzis, and played out the singer’s version of “Vaishnava Janato”, Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite bhajan. He said that the fame of Indian music had spread far and wide, with India exporting a large number of musical instruments to aficionados abroad, and Indian musical traditions in Guyana and other countries where centuries ago Indians had settled.