Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (L) and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Italy, on June 4, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, June 14, 2024, left for home after concluding his day-long visit to Italy during which he attended the G7 summit and held bilaterals with several world leaders including British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, French President Emmanuel Macron and Pope Francis.

Also read:G7 Summit 2024 highlights: At Outreach session, PM Modi called for ending monopoly in technology

In an address at an Outreach session of the G7 summit in Italy’s Apulia region, Mr. Modi called for ending the monopoly in technology and said it must be made creative to lay the foundation of an inclusive society.

The Prime Minister spoke extensively on the importance of ending monopoly in technology with a particular emphasis on artificial intelligence. Mr. Modi said India is among the first few countries to formulate a national strategy on artificial intelligence.

On the sidelines of the summit, Mr. Modi met U.S. President Joe Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Macron, British Prime Minister Sunak, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, Pope Francis and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida among others.

Also read:Way to peace is through ‘dialogue and diplomacy’: PM Modi tells Volodymyr Zelenskyy

The meeting with Mr. Macron was Mr. Modi’s first official bilateral meeting with an international leader since taking charge for his third term as Prime Minister earlier this month.

Besides India, Italy invited leaders from 11 developing countries in Africa, South America and the Indo-Pacific region to attend the G7 Summit.

Hanoi:

India has emerged as a country which is able to contribute much more to the world with a higher level of confidence and harmonise the contradictions of the world, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday. Addressing the Indian community in Vietnam, Mr Jaishankar also highlighted India’s role on the global stage through hosting a successful G20 summit in New Delhi last month and the deep historical and cultural connect that it shares with Vietnam.

“India is today very much a country on the Moon. It is a country whose global impact will be felt more and more… It is really, today a nation with many more capabilities, which is able to contribute much more and which has a much higher level of confidence…,” he told the Indian community members.

He said the space India occupies and the reputation built by it is creating the impression in the world that there is a country, which is actually able to harmonise the contradictions of the world, bridge the divides of the world, find common ground, and get people together.

“I must say, whether it was the G20 or a lot of other forums. Today, one big difference we are making is that we are able to get the world to look at the right issues. And the right tissues of the world today are development, climate, terrorism and debt. So the rest of the world today is looking very much towards India to articulate a lot of these positions,” he added.

Noting that India and Vietnam are probably the two fastest-growing economies in Asia, he said the USD 15 billion bilateral trade volume can grow and grow very fast. “And what we have to do is to set very ambitious targets and to clear a pathway for those targets to be realised,” he said.

Addressed the Indian community in Vietnam

Highlighted

The deep historical and cultural connect that share. My Son is the best example of this civilizational connect.

India’s role in the global stage through G20 and our ability to forge consensus is being noted… pic.twitter.com/hgKgNVxfA0

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) October 17, 2023

“A second set of issues for every country, defence and security is very important. We have long been reliable partners of Vietnam,” Mr Jaishankar said, adding that his visit was about how the two sides can broaden their relationship and accelerate cooperation. Noting that things are very difficult in many parts of the world, he said the challenges have actually only strengthened our commitment and our resolve to do more things together.

He underlined the importance of people-to-people connections and hailed the Indian community’s role in strengthening the country’s global outreach.

“There is no question today that in many ways our relationship is a good fit, there is a lot that we can do, but at the end of the day, when we speak about cooperation, it is done by people, and you are the people,” he added.

Mr Jaishankar arrived in Vietnam on Sunday on a four-day official visit.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Since the conclusion of the G20 Summit, nozzles worth more than Rs 10 lakh have been stolen from fountains newly installed outside Bharat Mandapam and at the Delhi Gate, officials said on Tuesday. The matter came to light when the agency tasked with their maintenance filed a police complaint.

According to officials of the Public Works Department, the stainless steel nozzles are priced at Rs 4,000 each.

A number of fountains were installed across the central Delhi area in the run-up to the G20 Summit.

“Twenty-four nozzles have been stolen from fountains outside the Bharat Mandapam while 12 nozzles from the fountain at Delhi Gate. The theft happened after the culmination of the G20 Summit,” a PWD official said.

Asked whether the CCTV cameras installed in the areas captured any suspicious movement, he said that the cameras installed by the agency cover only Gates 6 and 7 of Bharat Mandapam.

“There are also cameras installed by the Delhi Police but we do not know whether they are functional. The nozzles are expensive and we are trying to find alternatives to them,” the person said.

He said while the PWD replaced the stolen nozzles with plastic ones at Delhi Gate, the ones outside Bharat Mandapam can only be fitted with stainless steel ones since they are large fountains.

Even earlier, the department had filed police complaints about thefts of wires, nozzles, and other fixtures.

The department has deployed security guards around important places to ensure the security of the assets created during the summit.

“However, it is not possible … to ensure that they are not stolen since they are only a handful in number. Also, it is not possible for the department to deploy security guards everywhere,” said the PWD official.

Last month, Delhi PWD minister Atishi had said an agency will be hired for the safekeeping of these assets. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

India will raise all issues with the Canadian speaker of the Senate during the upcoming Parliament-20 meeting of the G20 nations’ presiding officers scheduled here next week, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said on Friday. The presiding officers of 25 countries and 10 deputy speakers from the G20 member nations and invitee countries are expected to attend the P20 Summit that will be held at the India International Convention and Expo Centre — Yashobhoomi — at Dwarka from October 13 to 14.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the G20 Parliamentary Speakers’ Summit (P20) on October 13.

Canada will be represented at the P20 Summit by Speaker of the Senate Raymonde Gagne. India’s relations with Canada have been under severe strain after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau linked Indian agents to the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia in June.

“We will discuss issues that have been listed for the summit. Other issues will be discussed informally,” Mr Birla said when asked whether the matter of using the Canadian Parliament to level allegations against India will be raised with the Canadian presiding officer.

More than 350 delegates are expected to attend the three-day summit that will see the participation of 50 members of Parliament, 14 general secretaries, 26 vice-presidents, the International Parliamentary Union president, and the president of the Pan-African Parliament.

“The main theme of the 9th P20 is proposed to be ‘Parliaments for One Earth, One Family, One Future’,” Mr Birla told a press conference here.

Presiding Officers of Parliaments of G20 Nations, and 10 other invited Nations and Heads of international parliamentary organisations will attend the Summit. Delegates will brainstorm on important issues like SDGs, green energy, bridging digital gap and gender equality.

— Om Birla (@ombirlakota) October 6, 2023

The P20 Summit will have four sessions on “Transformation in People’s Lives through Public Digital Platforms”, “Women-led Development”, “Accelerating SDGs” and “Sustainable Energy Transition”, he said.

“A pre-summit event, namely Parliamentary Forum on Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE), will be held on October 12 at Yashobhoomi. An exhibition titled ‘Mother of Democracy’ will also be organised to highlight India’s ancient and participative democratic traditions,” Mr Birla said.

The P20 delegates will also be taken on a tour of the new Parliament House, followed by a cultural evening and dinner hosted by the speaker. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said India’s diplomacy touched new heights in the last 30 days and some decisions taken during the G20 Summit have potential to change the direction the 21st century world takes.

Addressing students, faculty members and heads of educational institutions at the finale of the G20 University Connect here, the Prime Minister said he met 85 world leaders during the past 30 days.

“In today’s polarised international atmosphere, it is not a small thing to get so many countries together on one platform,” he said, referring to the G20 Summit in Delhi earlier this month.

He asserted that clean, clear and stable governance is necessary for the country’s developmental journey to continue.

“I want to give you a report card of the last 30 days. That will give you an idea of the speed and scale of New India. You must remember August 23! Everyone was praying and then suddenly there was a smile on everyone’s face. The entire world heard India’s voice: ‘India is on the Moon’.

“August 23 has become immortal in the country as the National Space Day. Soon after the success of its lunar mission, India launched its solar mission,” he added.

Asserting that India’s diplomacy reached new heights in the past 30 days, the Prime Minister said the G20 Summit could have been limited to a diplomatic and Delhi-centric programme but India made it a people-driven national movement.

Six more countries have joined BRICS community due to India’s efforts, the Prime Minister said.

“A 100 per cent consensus on the Delhi declaration made global headlines…some decisions taken during the G20 Summit have potential to change the 21st century’s direction..In today’s polarised international atmosphere, it is not a small thing to get so many countries together on one platform,” he said.

Listing out the achievements of his government in the past 30 days, the Prime Minister said several initiatives were taken to empower the poor, SCs, STs, OBCs and the middle class.

“The government launched the PM Vishwakarma Yojana for artisans. In last 30 days, over one lakh youths have been given central government jobs through ‘Rozgar Mela’. The women’s reservation bill became the first bill passed in the new Parliament building and it filled the country with a sense of pride,” he said.

PM Modi said he is not surprised at the success of the G20 Summit as when youths get associated with any event, its success is assured. “Youths progress only where there is optimism, opportunities and openness. My message to the youth is – ‘Think Big’,” he said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of Turkey, addresses the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations headquarters, on Sept. 19, 2023.
| Photo Credit: AP

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan raised the issue of Kashmir during his address to world leaders at the high-level 78th session of the UN General Assembly session here.

“Another development that will pave the way for regional peace, stability and prosperity in South Asia will be the establishment of a just and lasting peace in Kashmir through dialogue and cooperation between India and Pakistan,” Mr. Erdogan said in his address to the General Debate on September 19.

“As Turkiye, we will continue to support the steps to be taken in this direction,” he said.

His comment comes weeks after he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in New Delhi during which both the leaders discussed strengthening trade and infrastructure relations.

Mr. Erdogan said it was a matter of pride that India was playing a role at the United Nations Security Council. He said he favoured making five permanent and 15 “temporary” members as permanent members of the UN Security Council.

“Those 20 (5+15) should be permanent members of the UNSC in rotation. But as you know, the world is bigger than five. When we say the world is larger than five, what we mean is that it’s not only about the U.S., U.K., France, China and Russia,” he said.

In recent years, the Turkish leader has referred to the issue of Kashmir in his address to world leaders at the high-level UN General Assembly session.

Last year, Mr. Erdogan raked up the issue of Kashmir during his address to world leaders at the high-level UN General Assembly session here.

“India and Pakistan, after having established their sovereignty and independence 75 years ago, they still haven’t established peace and solidarity between one another. This is much unfortunate. We hope and pray that a fair and permanent peace and prosperity will be established in Kashmir,” Mr. Erdogan had said.

In 2020, Mr. Erdogan in his pre-recorded video statement to the General Debate had made a reference to Jammu and Kashmir. India had at that time termed it as “completely unacceptable”, saying Turkey should learn to respect the sovereignty of other nations and reflect on its own policies more deeply.

Shimla:

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu has demanded the Union government to declare the disaster in Himachal as a national disaster. Chief Minister Sukhu said that he had put forth this demand with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the G20 dinner. He also demanded a special package for the state.

“The state government is continuously demanding the central government that the disaster here should be declared a national disaster. Also, the Central Government should give a special relief package to Himachal, but till now both demands have been ignored,” Chief Minister Sukhu said.

The Chief Minister said that he will give appropriate answers to every question of the opposition in the monsoon session of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly.

Chief Minister Sukhu expressed his gratitude to Priyanka Gandhi for her visit to the state. He said that Priyanka Gandhi took time out from her busy schedule to come to Himachal and meet the disaster-affected people.

The Chief Minister said that Priyanka Gandhi’s “eyes were filled with tears” after meeting the disaster-affected people at many places.

He said that there has been huge devastation in the state due to heavy rain and flood. He said that the government is making changes in the manual to provide relief to the disaster affected.

Recently, the state government has asked to pay the house rent to the people who lost their houses. In this, every month Rs 5,000 in rural areas and Rs 10,000 in urban areas will be provided by the government till 31 March 2024, he said.

He said that many people lost their land in the disaster. Now such people have land in the revenue records, but the place at ground zero is not suitable for living. The government will also make changes in such rules and will work to provide relief to the disaster-affected, he added.

The Chief Minister said that he has instructed all the District Deputy Commissioners to ensure that relief is provided to the disaster-affected people and no one is left wanting.

He said that recently the matter of reducing import duty on Washington Apple has come to light. This will have a negative impact on all the gardeners of Himachal Pradesh, he said.

He said that the state government would also provide land and change the rules to provide disaster manual help to the affected people.

“The farmers who have lost cattle herds and crops will also be helped and all deputy Commissioners have also been directed to announce the disaster affected areas,” he added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

In a bid to ensure that the contributions of everyone who was part of making the G20 Summit a success are recognised, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to have dinner with personnel from the Delhi Police this week.

Sources in the force said Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora has sought a list of personnel from each district – from constables to inspectors – who did an excellent job during the summit last weekend. 

The list is expected to have 450 personnel, who, along with Mr Arora, are likely to have dinner with the Prime Minister at Bharat Mandapam, which was the venue of the G20 Summit. 

This is not the first time PM Modi will be recognising the efforts of people involved in a major achievement. In May, ahead of the inauguration of the new Parliament Building, he had felicitated the labourers involved in its construction. 

Earlier this week, Sanjay Arora had also awarded the Commissioner of Police’s special commendation disc and certificate to some Delhi Police personnel for their contribution to the G20 Summit. 

The order announcing this, which was dated September 11, said, “The smooth, professional and precise execution of the colossal G20 arrangement, which saw participation, commitment and contribution from the entire rank and file of Delhi Police, was made possible only by the shared sense of pride and ownership in the overall objectives of the mega arrangement by every participant.”

The Delhi Police had a difficult task on their hands both before and during the summit, which saw the largest congregation of world leaders in the country in recent memory. 

To ensure the highest levels of security and secrecy, the Special Protection Group and Delhi Police personnel also used code words for the hotels where the leaders and their delegations were staying

The ITC Maurya Sheraton, where US President Joe Biden was staying, was code-named ‘Pandora’ and ‘Samara’ was the name for Shangri-La, where UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife, Akshata Murthy, were living during the summit. 

Code words were also used for places that the leaders would visit. Rajghat was called ‘Rudpur’ and Pragati Maidan, where the summit was held, was ‘Niketan’.

New Delhi:

The BJP Headquarters in New Delhi is all set to see a flurry of activity on Wednesday evening, with thousands of party workers gathering to accord a grand welcome to Prime Minister Narendra Modi following the successful G20 Summit. 

India’s hosting of the prestigious summit and the fact that it managed to achieve a consensus on the New Delhi Declaration is being seen as a major diplomatic victory. The country’s successful presidency of the G20 and its championing of the issues of Global South have also strengthened its case for a permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council. 

The Prime Minister will get down to electoral business right after the welcome and take part in the BJP’s Central Election Committee meeting to decide on candidates for the crucial Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh elections.

The committee had also met on August 16 and candidates were announced for 39 constituencies in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh and 21 in Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh a day later. These were seats where the BJP does not have sitting MLAs.

Sources said Wednesday’s meeting is likely to see deliberations on 50 constituencies in Madhya Pradesh and 35 in Chhattisgarh. Madhya Pradesh has 230 Assembly seats and Chhattisgarh has 90. 

The other members of the committee include BJP President J P Nadda, Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. 

The naming of the candidates in August, which was done three months ahead of the polls in the states, had taken many people by surprise as it was the first time that the BJP had announced a list even before the Election Commission of India had declared the poll dates.

The move was seen as an attempt to pre-empt any friction within the party and iron out issues ahead of the elections in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Telangana and Mizoram. This is especially important as the party had lost in all the states in 2018, except Mizoram, where an NDA ally had formed the government with the BJP as a minor partner. 

The party had bounced back in the Lok Sabha elections the next year, sweeping Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, and doing better than the Congress in Telangana. It also managed to unseat the Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh, following the rebellion led by Jyotiraditya Scindia, and Shivraj Singh Chouhan took oath as chief minister in 2020.

Like in 2018, the elections in the five states are being seen as a ‘semi-final’ ahead of the Lok Sabha elections next year. They have become even more important because of the BJP’s big loss in Karnataka in May, which has ensured that the party is not in power in any state in south India. 

New Delhi:

A 12-hour drama unfolded last Thursday in Delhi after the security team at a five-star hotel – where the Chinese delegation for the G20 summit had checked in – noticed a member carrying a bag with “unusual dimensions”.

The security personnel at the Taj Palace Hotel, however, allowed the bags in because the diplomatic protocols suggest so.

Later, in one of the rooms occupied by the delegation, a hotel employee spotted “suspicious equipments ” inside two bags.

After the security department was informed, the officials requested the delegation members to put the bags through a scanner, but they resisted that, sources say.

Their denial, sources say, led to a standoff and was resolved only after the Chinese officials agreed to send the bags to the embassy.

“The security team stood guard outside the hotel room for about 12 hours, but the Chinese officials refused to get their bags checked,” a source told NDTV.

“The Chinese delegation, after a long discussion, then moved their bags to the embassy,” the source said.

The G20 summit was held in the national capital over the weekend – September 9 and 10. India pulled off a big diplomatic win after the G20 summit held under its presidency adopted a “100% consensus” on the ‘New Delhi Declaration’ – overcoming major differences on the Russia-Ukraine war.

Chinese President Xi Jinping had skipped the summit, and the country’s delegation was led by Premier Li Qiang.

China said it has always actively supported the work of the G20 and believes that it’s important for the grouping to stand in solidarity and cooperate to address various risks and challenges in the world economy and development.