External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and G20 development ministers attended the Ganga Aarti ritual at the Dashashwamedh Ghat in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. The G20 meeting focused on addressing global supply chain disruptions, food and energy security challenges, and the impacts of climate change while achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) without costly trade-offs.
The meeting was preceded by the fourth and final development working group (DWG) meeting in Delhi, and cultural programs and excursions were arranged for the delegates to experience Varanasi’s rich culture and traditions. A viral video clip shows Jaishankar and G20 delegates from Brazil, Germany, Japan, Indonesia, and China attending the Ganga Aarti ahead of the meeting.
#WATCH | EAM Dr S Jaishankar and G20 delegates attend Ganga aarti in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh pic.twitter.com/toh2WVOL29
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) June 11, 2023
EAM Jaishankar claimed that, at least throughout the course of his 45-year career, he had never witnessed a prime minister receive such a warm welcome from the leaders of Fiji and Australia. “The G20 development ministerial meeting will be an opportunity to collectively agree on actions for accelerating achievement of the SDGs and foster synergies between the development, environment, and climate agendas while avoiding costly trade-offs that hold back progress for the developing countries,” the MEA was quoted as saying by PTI.
The G20 development ministers’ summit follows the Voice of the Global South Summit, which India hosted in January. According to the MEA, the decisions made at the Varanasi meeting will also have an impact on the UN summit on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which will take place in September. In order to provide the delegates a glimpse of Varanasi’s rich history and traditions, one of the oldest cities in the world, cultural activities, exhibitions, and excursions have also been planned, according to the MEA.
