Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: In the first major international event after the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution of India, the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir will host the Summit of the Group of 20 countries (G-20) leaders in 2023.
India will hold the G-20 presidency from December 2022 for a year and will convene its summit for the first time.
Prime Minister Modi has been leading India’s representation at G-20 Summits since 2014. India has been a member of the G-20, an influential group bringing together the world’s major economies, since its inception in 1999.
Following a communique from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the government of the UT of J&K, on Thursday, set up a high-level five-member committee for overall coordination, the media reported on Friday.
This will be J&K’s first major international event after New Delhi abrogated its “special status” under Article 370 in August 2019, and divided it into two UTs.
The Centre had, in September 2021, appointed Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal as India’s Sherpa for the G-20. The MEA had said India will hold the G-20 presidency from December 1, 2022, and will convene the G-20 leaders’ Summit in 2023 for the first time.
Manoj Kumar Dwivedi, Principal Secretary in the UT’s Housing and Urban Development Department, will be the chairperson of the five-member committee, and the nodal officer of the body, formed after a June 4 communication from the Ministry of External Affairs. Its members will be the Commissioner Secretary (Transport), Administrative Secretary (Tourism), Administrative Secretary (Hospitality and Protocol), and Administrative Secretary (Culture).
India is part of the G-20 Troika (preceding, current, and incoming G-20 Presidencies) from December 1, 2021, until November 30, 2024.
G-20 brings together the world’s leading economies and the European Union, with its members accounting for over 80 percent of global GDP, 75 percent of global trade, and 60 percent of the global population, according to the MEA.
The G-20 member nations are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The European Union is also a member.
In 2021, the G-20 Summit was held in Italy.