Hornbill Fest, Monuments Lighting As India To Take Up G20 Presidency

The summit will be held in Delhi in September next year, for which mammoth preparations are in order. There will be more than 200 meetings across 50 cities before the event – more than the total number of meets held in China when it hosted the Summit in 2016.

The summit is expected to have an ''impeccable and uniquely Indian'' identity and add to Brand India, sources told NDTV.

The events planned for December 1 will include a special lighting ceremony for 100 monuments.  Special audio-video clips will be released and selfie competition with G-20 logo will be held.

The government also plans to showcase Nagaland's famous Hornbill Festival when it assumes the G20 presidency on Thursday. Sand artistes in Puri will be roped in to portray the G-20 logo and add to the optics around the event.

To sensitise students about G-20, special sessions will be held in schools and foreign minister S Jaishankar will hold interactions with students from 75 colleges and Universities.

For next year's Summit, India's objectives include the supply of affordable technology for sustainable environmental development, highlighting the digital transformation of the country.

There will also be focus on renewable energy, India's contribution in the international solar alliance and lifestyle changes required for a sustainable environment, sources said.

The summit, which will draw international delegates, will have elaborate dinner meets that would include cultural programmes by states. There will be multiple side-events too, that would include debates, some of which will be student-level.

Information on the meet will be disseminated down to the block level in the country in full Jan Bhagidari mode, sources said.

The G20 grouping brings together the 20 major economies of the world. Together, its member nations account for more than 80 per cent of world GDP, 75 per cent of global trade and 60 per cent of the population. The forum has met every year since 1999. Its leaders meet for an annual G20 Leaders' Summit since 2008.