P K Mishra chairs 9th meeting of the Coordination Committee on India’s G20 Presidency

Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Dr P. K. Mishra chaired the 9th meeting of the G20 Coordination Committee on 30 August 2023. Principal Secretary took stock of arrangements for the G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Summit, including logistical, protocol, security and media-related arrangements. The meeting was attended by senior officers from G20 Secretariat and Ministries of External Affairs, Home, Culture, Information and Broadcasting and the Department of Telecom.

It was noted that work on the ground and on site at Bharat Mandapam was proceeding satisfactorily. For a uniquely Indian experience, exhibitions on culture and ‘Mother of Democracy’ are being set up in Bharat Mandapam. Principal Secretary also reviewed progress in installation of the Nataraj statue at the venue and programme for Spouses of visiting leaders which has been especially curated for the guests.

For the first time, a mobile App has been made for G20, called ‘G20 India’ which is now available for download, both on Android and iOS. G20 delegates and members of the media will also witness digital India first hand through the ‘Innovation Hub’ and ‘Digital India Experiential Hub’ which are being set up at Bharat Mandapam.

On logistics side, drills are being held and dress rehearsals are planned in the coming days. Principal Secretary was also briefed on security aspects by officers concerned. Traffic advisory has been issued for the public. Principal Secretary emphasised that though for security and protocol reasons, restrictions are being placed, efforts should be made so that least inconvenience is caused to public. He directed that essential services in the city should not be affected. Further, communications regarding traffic restrictions be made more user-friendly.

Media arrangements for the Summit were also reviewed. So far, more than 3600 requests have been received including from foreign media and accreditation letters are being issued. Media Centre at Bharat Mandapam will be fully ready by the end of this week.

Principal Secretary directed all concerned officers and heads of organisations to make every effort to host an impeccable Summit. For smooth coordination between various agencies, it was decided that a Multi-Agency Control Room will be set up at Bharat Mandapam. Principal Secretary will undertake field and site visits over next few days to check the state of readiness on the ground.