Indians have a penchant for organising festive events, thanks to so many festivals that come round the year and the big fat Indian wedding with its lavish food, decked-up venues, heavy socialising, and the song and dance. Now these skills are being put to use as India hosts the G20 Summit after a year-long series of events all over the country.
India has never hosted anything of the scale of the G20 Summit which will happen over the weekend in Delhi, with more than 30 heads of state and 10 global organisations converging at Bharat Mandapam, the glamping new meeting venue at Pragati Maidan.
By November 30, when the term of India’s G20 Presidency ends, over 220 meetings would have happened across 60 cities in all 28 states and 8 union territories. Over 1.5 crore people would have been involved in these programmes or come in touch with some aspects of them. Over 1 lakh participants from around 125 nationalities would have witnessed different parts of India and interacted with Indians of different regions.
How did India manage to pull off such a large-scale event spread over a year and across the country? India had all hands on deck as ministers, government officials, state governments, civil society groups, businesses and common people came together to host foreign dignitaries. It all started last February when the G20 hosting process began.
The G20 secretariat
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The G20 Secretariat in Delhi is at the heart of all preparations. On February 15, the Union Cabinet approved the setting up of a G20 Secretariat and its reporting structures, which was given the responsibility of implementation of overall policy decisions and arrangements needed.
The G20 Secretariat has been handling work related to content, technical, media, security and logistical aspects of India’s G20 Presidency. It is staffed with officers from the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Finance, and other relevant line ministries/departments and domain knowledge experts. The Secretariat will be functional till February 2024.
While the G20 secretariat has around 250 officers, following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s instructions, another 100-odd young officers from IAS, IPS and Indian Forest Service have been marshalled from across the country to help them gain experience and be future-ready.
Key organisersApart from union ministers, an able team of India’s top bureaucrats has been driving the G20 events across the country. Shaktikanta Das, the RBI Governor, has been leading the discussions and putting forward India’s views on key financial issues at the meetings, including a major push for a global framework on cryptocurrency. PK Mishra, Principal Secretary to PM, is keeping a close watch on the preparations for the summit and has played a key role in the planning and execution of mega events. Amitabh Kant, the G20 Sherpa: has worked tirelessly to evolve a consensus and project India’s views forcefully. He has also helped put up grand shows at each of the Sherpa meets at Udaipur, Kumarakom and Hampi to push tourism and help break the ice between the developed and emerging economies.
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Harsh Vardhan Shringla, the former foreign secretary, is the chief coordinator for the G20 and is seen as a key player in India’s G20 team. He has used his past experience to push India’s point of view and work behind the scenes to bridge differences.
Muktesh K Pardeshi, Special Secretary, G20 Operations, the country’s former ambassador to Mexico, heads the crucial desk at the G20 operations group. He has played a key role in the planning and execution of the raft of meetings and events across the country. Abhay Thakur, Additional Secretary G20 and Sous Sherpa, is a crucial member of the think tank behind the negotiations. He keeps a close watch on the negotiations and, along with the sherpa, has been working hard to evolve a consensus.
Other key players in the G20 Secretariat are Nagaraj Naidu Kakanur, joint secretary, and his team of seven officers; Ashish Kumar Sinha, joint secretary, and his eight officers; Enam Gambhir, joint secretary, and her team of six; Bhavna Saxena, joint secretary (security); Smriti, joint secretary (branding); and Joint secretaries L Ramesh Babu and Rohit Rathish.
The logo and theme
The G20 Logo was chosen to reflect the vibrant colours of India’s national flag – saffron, white and green and blue. It juxtaposes planet Earth with the lotus, India’s national flower that reflects growth amid challenges. The Earth reflects India’s pro-planet approach to life, one in perfect harmony with nature. Below the G20 logo is “Bharat”, written in the Devanagari script.
The theme of India’s G20 Presidency – “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” or “One Earth ? One Family ? One Future” – is drawn from the ancient Sanskrit text of the Maha Upanishad. Essentially, the theme affirms the value of all life – human, animal, plant, and microorganisms – and their interconnectedness on the planet Earth and in the wider universe.
The meetingsIndia’s G20 presidency has meant that over 220 meetings had to be organised across the country – from Srinagar to Kumarakom and Gandhinagar to Gangtok and Itanagar. This meant that every state had to be consulted, venues had to be finalised, and security arrangements put in place.
“A logistical plan was drawn up and we came up with 60 locations for meetings. This has guided our organisational plans. Some of the things that came from the leadership was to showcase the soft power apart from the technological prowess. When we talk of soft power, it’s our culture, our craft, our world-famous cuisine,” said Muktesh Pardeshi, special secretary in the G20 secretariat, told TOI recently.
Accommodation and transfersNearly 10,000 hotel rooms for 6,000-7,000 delegates, finding presidential suites for heads of states or governments, 400 vehicles for official delegations, lining up more than 20 hospitals, each mapped to a hotel, arrangements for over 3,500 registered media personnel were the tasks to be completed.
Almost 3,500 rooms across big and small hotels in Delhi and Gurgaon have been booked to cater to the upcoming G20 Summit in the capital.
Finalising the hotels itself has been a major task. While hotels were sounded out as early as last October, finally the G20 secretariat settled on 18 hotels for use by the VVIPs. The main criteria was the availability of presidential suites for the heads of government and executive suites for the senior members of the delegations. “We had to keep in mind the distance to the venue and the security detail in mind while mapping each hotel,” a government official told TOI, adding that nearly two dozen hotels had been identified from Aerocity to Lutyen’s Delhi.
While there will be ambulances with each carcade, every hotel has been mapped to a hospital within its close vicinity with over 20 such facilities across the city on standby. Five government and three private hospitals have been put on high alert to ensure that healthcare arrangements are in place during the G20 Summit
Luxury vehicles have made their way to Delhi from cities like Mumbai, Chandigarh and Agra. To cater to the soaring demand for upscale cars, cab rental companies flaunting these exquisite wheels are stepping in to provide their services. Speaking to IANS, Harman Preet Singh, who manages Punia Trvlez in Greater Kailash 1, revealed that the upcoming summit has spurred a demand for approximately 450 luxury cars.
Sprucing up DelhiRepair and revamp of 61 roads, installation of 100 sculptures, 150 fountains and 6.75 lakh potted plants, and clearing 15,000 metric tonnes of solid waste – preparing to welcome the heads of 29 states and an entourage of officials for the G20 Summit, Delhi witnessed large-scale works in the last couple of months.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has given finishing touches to areas under flyovers for the G20 Summit after placing about 1 lakh potted plants on main roads and in markets. The corporation has also revamped around 40 parks next to main roads or prominent market areas. The list included 17 parks in the central zone, 12 in the Karol Bagh zone and 10 in the south zone.
To keep the city clean and green, MCD has deployed suction-cum-jet machines at 35 most prominent roads. They will be used from 6am to 2pm for scrubbing, cleaning and washing roads and footpaths.
The New Delhi Municipal Council has been busy giving a finishing look to the lighting done to beautify roundabouts and highlight sculptures installed at intersections. The council has claimed to have installed 1,200 backlit panels of six types, including one with G20 logos, in addition to 600 uplighters to illuminate trees, sculptures and fountains at various intersections to give an aesthetic look to the area.
A contingency plan has been put in place to deal with waterlogging at the G20 venue and other strategic locations to fend off against rain during the two-day event in the city next month, The plan involves having a battery of tractor-mounted heavy duty 50 horsepower pumps deployed to clear the excess water, mechanical road sweeping (MRS) vehicles, also mounted with heavy water jetting machines to clear mud and silt off road sides, and a ‘super sucker’ to clear clogged drains and sewer lines, they said.
A lavish feastUS President Joe Biden and other world leaders gathering for the G20 summit here will get a taste of lip-smacking Indian street food, including flavourful delicacies from Chandni Chowk, and innovative millet dishes. An elaborate spread of millet recipes has been planned for the world leaders and delegates, showcasing the climate-resistant and highly nutritious coarse grains grown across the country.
Away from the glare of the public, hotels have also been customising their menus, providing not only a taste of India but also flavours familiar to the guests, enough to ensure the visitors do not leave with a bitter taste in their mouths. With the host country having elevated millet to global status, the hotels are also stirring the pots to prove the humble grain can easily be an ingredient in haute cuisine.
While international dishes and signature favourites will feature in the menus, the incredible flavours of India will take centre stage. Muktesh Pardeshi, Special Secretary and the head of operations and logistics of India’s G20 secretariat, said that the catering at the Convention Centre is being done by the ITC.
At Taj Palace Hotel, a kitchen team of 120 chefs has been working for a month now, in consultation with the Indian external affairs ministry and the embassies and high commissions, to deliver a memorable culinary experience for the G20 participants. Nayan Seth, general manager of the hotel, told TOI that special menus will feature heirloom recipes, among them gud aur amaranth ke laddoo, kaju pista roll, rahi badam pinni, bajre ki barfi and ragi paniyaram.
The Claridges, which will host the French delegation, has imported caviar, artisanal miniature breads, charcuterie cheese products and champagne for President Emmanuel Macron. Executive chef Ankur Gulati also revealed that the hotel will have an edible India Gate themed chocolate installation to impress the guests with the similar history represented by the Indian monument and the Arc de Triomphe. The dessert section will have three French confections and three Indian mithais. While the hotel has stocked up on the best French butters, jams and fruits, its executives hope Macron will sample one of the three specially prepared Gujarati, Rajasthani and Devbhoomi thalis and taste the millet dishes.
‘Bharat Mandapam’The G20 Leaders’ Summit will take place from September 9-10 at the newly-built International Convention and Exhibition Centre, ‘Bharat Mandapam’, at the Pragati Maidan.
A towering statue of ‘Nataraja’, believed to be the world’s tallest, has been installed at Bharat Mandapam. This statue, which is 28-foot tall including the pedestal, was made using the ancient lost-wax technique of metal casting that was used for making the famed Chola bronzes. Bharat Mandapam which will host the main event as well as a gala dinner, has been illuminated and decorated with plants, flowers, fountains and lights.
At Bharat Mandapam, the Heads of State and other top leaders will be greeted by an artificial intelligence-generated ‘avatar’ at the ‘Mother of Democracy’ exhibition. The exhibition will showcase India’s democratic traditions from the Vedic period to the modern era. The textual content, along with its audio is presented in 16 global languages, including English, French, Mandarin, Italian, Korean and Japanese, they added.
The G20 appThe government also launched a G20 mobile app to provide an immersive and informative experience to the delegates. The app aims at making the G20 Summit accessible to the delegates and helping them in smooth navigation of all the events. .PM Modi suggested that the G20 app should have a translation facility so that delegates could easily communicate even with hotel staff. As a result, 16 languages – from English to Dutch, Chinese and Bengali – have been added to the app. Similarly, there are navigation tools to help the delegates move around the venue with ease – from the delegation rooms to the photo opp area or the prayer rooms.
The PM also asked all the ministers to download the app and make the best use of its translation, and navigation facilities among other features while communicating with the foreign dignitaries during the summit.
SecurityOver 50,000 police personnel will be on duty for the G20 summit, Delhi Police announced on Friday. Most of those posted at the venue or the hotels will dispense with their uniforms so that the places don’t appear to have an overwhelming presence of cops. Delhi Police said it aims to prevent infiltration, acts of terror and sabotage. While collaborating with the Central Armed Police Forces and the National Security Guard, the city cops have also sought assistance from the armed forces in sensitive areas to ensure foolproof security.
The IAF is going full steam ahead in making the airspace over the Delhi-National Capital Region as impregnable as possible, with fighter jets, surface-to-air missile systems, anti-drone systems, airborne early-warning and control systems (AEW&C) and other sensors being deployed for the G20 summit on September 9-10. A wide array of surface-to-air guided weapon systems have been deployed to protect the Delhi-NCR. These include MR-SAMs (medium-range surface-to-air missile systems), jointly developed with Israel, which are designed to destroy hostile aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles and drones at a range of 70-km.
“The fully-indigenous Akash air defence missiles, which have an interception range of 25-km, are also being deployed. Netra AEW&C aircraft and other sensors, including enough low-level transportable radars, in turn, will continuously scan the airspace in and around Delhi-NCR to detect any inimical movement in the skies,” the source said.
Front-line fighters like the Rafales, Mirage-2000s and Sukhoi-30MKIs will patrol the skies, even as air-bases in the region like Ambala, Bareilly, Sirsa, Bhatinda, Gwalior and others will also maintain ORPs (operational readiness platforms) round-the-clock.
This involves two to three fighters being kept combat-ready in blast pens adjoining the runway at an airbase for immediate take-off whenever an alarm is sounded.
(With inputs from TOI and agencies)
