BHUBANESWAR: If everything goes as per plan, Odisha may host G20 leaders later this year or early next year. Heritage town Konark and Bhubaneswar are likely to be the venue for the ministerial/working group meets of the global Summit that is being hosted for the first time in India.
As the G20 presidency is set to be held in the country from December 1 this year to November 30, 2023, culminating with the main Summit at New Delhi, several states including Odisha are being roped in to organise the pre-summit meets.
The coastal State has become a preferred venue for the commitment and hospitality it has already showcased by successfully hosting several international sporting events, including the Hockey Men’s World Cup in 2018.
Sources said more than 180 meetings will be held in the run up to the main Summit during the period at ministerial and officers-level in different states to showcase Indian diversity and ethnicity.
While the Ministry of External Affairs is undertaking an exercise of mapping the cities for physical verification of hotels and other facilities, a team of officials of the Ministry’s logistics committee has arrived here to study the feasibility.
The five-member team on Thursday visited Konark and some star hotels in Bhubaneswar after holding a formal meeting with senior officials of the Home, Tourism and Urban Development departments.
The Summit will be the pinnacle of the G20 process and intense work carried out within the ministerial meetings, working groups, and engagement groups throughout the year.
A senior official of the State government said the Ministry officials are here for scouting of possible venues to host G20 ministerial/working group meetings in and around Bhubaneswar.
“They have visited the places of their choice. Nothing has been finalised as the schedule is yet to be prepared. Around 250 to 300 global leaders and officials are expected if a couple of meets are held here. The State may have to develop some infrastructure once the meet is scheduled,” he added.
The Centre is in the process of building a secretariat at New Delhi that will look after the affairs of organising the G20 Summit. Pragati Maidan is being developed to host the main Summit.
What is G20 Summit?
G20 is an inter-governmental forum that addresses global economic issues such as financial stability, climate change mitigation, and sustainable development. It is a group of 19 countries and the European Union (EU), with representatives of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The membership comprises a mix of the world’s largest advanced and emerging economies, representing about two-thirds of the world’s population, 80 per cent (pc) of global GDP, 80 pc of global investment and over 75 pc of global trade.