Jammu & Kashmir to host G20 summit next year

New Delhi, June 24: In a major development, the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir is all set to host G20 meetings in 2023. This comes as India is set to take the presidency of G20 from Indonesia later this year. In order to coordinate the arrangements of the influential group of the world's major economies, the J&K administration has constituted a five-member high-level committee.

 

 

 

In September last year, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal was appointed as India's Sherpa for the G20. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, India will hold the G-20 presidency from December 1, 2022, and convene the first G20 leaders’ summit in 2023. It will be the first time that the G20 will be conducted in India and the country has chosen J&K as the venue.

 

 

 

The J&K administration has constituted a five-member committee for coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) for holding the prestigious event next year. "Sanction is hereby accorded to the constitution of a committee for overall coordination of G-20 meetings to be held in the Union Territory of J&K," reads an order issued by the General Administration Department.

 

 

According to the order, the Principal Secretary to the government, Housing and Urban Development department (H&UDD) has been nominated as chairman of the committee and administrative secretaries of four other departments have been designated as members. The Principal Secretary H&UDD has also been nominated as UT-level nodal officer to coordinate the arrangements for G-20 meetings in J&K.

 

 

While India has been a member of the G20 since its inception in 1999, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been leading the country’s representation at the group summits since 2014. The G20 brings together 19 of the world’ leading economies and the European Union, with its members accounting for more than 80% of global GDP. The countries include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United States and the United Kingdom.