Organising G20 Summit involved guidance at govt as well as grassroot level: Harsh Shringla

New Delhi [India], September 8 (ANI): Organising the G20 Summit at such a large scale involved guidance not just at the government level, but also down to the grassroots levels, G20 Chief Coordinator Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Friday.
Shringla told ANI that several meetings were hosted in cities that had no exposure to international events and limited capacity to do that.
"Well, preparation, as I said, involved not only guidance at the government level, at the highest levels but also going down to the grassroots levels, to the states, municipalities, district administrations. We hosted meetings in many cities of ours that had no exposure to international events, and also limited capacity to do that. What I think resulted in this is that we have created capacity where there was none. We have provided for infrastructural and urban transformations where they did not exist,” the G20 Chief Coordinator said.
He added, “As I said, as Prime Minister Modi has pointed out, India's human-centric development model is one that we are happy to share with the rest of the world...."
Earlier, during the pre-summit briefing on Friday, while responding to ANI’s question on coordinating such massive efforts for the G20 Summit, the G20 Chief Coordinator had said that the organisational effort has gone across the country as every citizen feels proud of the summit being organised in India.
“It was not only a whole of Govt effort but a whole of nation effort because it is not only a huge exercise but it is also an unprecedented exercise. We have never been president of the G 20 before. So, this is one of the most significant international events we have ever organised. I think every Indian citizen, in a certain sense, is a stakeholder in this exercise because of the pride he feels, of India hosting an event of this scale and magnitude with such level of success. It certainly has been an organisational effort that has gone across the country,” Shringla said during the briefing.
Meanwhile, India is geared up to host the G20 Summit in the national capital on September 9-10.
Several world leaders and delegates have arrived in the national capital, and several more will be arriving shortly to participate in the summit.
India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1 last year and about 200 meetings related to G20 were organized in 60 cities across the country.
The 18th G20 Heads of State and Government Summit in New Delhi will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies.
A G20 Leaders’ Declaration will be adopted at the conclusion of the New Delhi Summit, stating leaders’ commitment towards the priorities discussed and agreed upon during the respective ministerial and working group meetings. (ANI)