PM Modi addresses G20 Development Ministers’ Meeting, hails Kashi

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday addressed the G20 Development Ministers’ Meeting today via video message.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister welcomed everyone to Varanasi, highlighting the significance of Kashi. He said that it has been the center of knowledge, discussion, debate, culture, and spirituality for centuries while it also has the essence of India’s diverse heritage serving as a convergence point for people from all parts of the country.

PM Modi expressed delight that the G20 Development agenda has reached Kashi as well.

“Development is a core issue for the Global South”, the Prime Minister remarked as he pointed out that the countries of the Global South were severely impacted by the disruptions created due to the global Covid pandemic while geo-political tensions were responsible for food, fuel, and fertilizer crises.

In such circumstances, the Prime Minister continued, the decisions you make are significant for humanity as a whole. PM Modi emphasized that it is the collective responsibility of the people to not let the Sustainable Development Goals fall behind.

He further added that the Global South must send a strong message to the world about the action plan required to achieve this.

The Prime Minister underlined that our efforts must be comprehensive, inclusive, fair, and sustainable, and attempts should be made to increase investment in fulfilling the SDGs and also finding solutions to address the debt risks faced by many countries.

The Prime Minister remarked that multilateral financial institutions should be reformed to expand the eligibility criteria to ensure that finance is accessible to those in need. In India, the Prime Minister continued, we have made efforts to improve people’s lives in more than a hundred Aspirational Districts which were pockets of under-development.

He underscored that these Aspirational Districts have now emerged as the catalysts of growth in the country as he urged the G20 Development Ministers to study this model of development. “It may be relevant as you work towards accelerating Agenda 2030”, he added.

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