Prime Minister Narendra Modi advocated for a ‘pro-planet lifestyle’, gender equality, and women’s empowerment during a special video address at the G20 Development Ministers’ meeting underway in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi. Union Minister of External Affairs Dr S. Jaishankar is chairing the meeting which will conclude on Tuesday.
In his video message, PM Modi pitched for the democratisation of technology to bridge the data divide and told G20 delegates that India is willing to share its experience with partner countries as digitalisation has brought about a revolutionary change at home.
He underlined the growing data divide and said high quality data is critical to meaningful policy-making and efficient public delivery. “In India digitalisation has brought about a revolutionary change. Technology is being used as a tool to empower people,” he said.
Modi spoke about his government’s work to boost development in over 100 aspirational districts, a reference to underdeveloped areas. Experience has shown that these districts have emerged as a catalyst for the country’s growth and urged the delegates to study the model as they may find it relevant.
Noting that development is a core issue for the Global South, he said these countries were severely impacted by the disruptions created by the global Covid pandemic. And, the food, fuel, and fertilizer crises because of geo-political tensions have delivered another blow, he added.
“In such circumstances, the decisions you make carry great significance for humanity as a whole. I strongly believe that it is our collective responsibility not to let the Sustainable Development Goals fall behind. We must ensure that no one is left behind. It is imperative for this group to send a strong message to the world that we have an action plan to achieve this,” he said.
Describing Varanasi, where the meeting is taking place, as the oldest living city of the mother of democracy, the prime minister said it is a fitting location for the G20 development ministers’ meeting. “Kashi has been a centre of knowledge, discussion, debate, culture, and spirituality for centuries. It has the essence of India’s diverse heritage and serves as a convergence point for people from all parts of the country,” he said.
Advocating for gender equality and women’s empowerment, PM Modi said, “Women are setting the agenda for development. Women are agents of growth and change.”
The G20 development ministers’ conclave follows the Voice of the Global South Summit that was hosted by India in January, and the decisions taken at the Varanasi meet will also contribute to the UN summit on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in September, the MEA said.
In a statement, it said the Varanasi meeting is taking place amid mounting developmental challenges that have been further aggravated by economic slowdown, debt distress, impacts of climate change, growing poverty and inequality, food and energy insecurity, global supply-chain disruptions, and geo-political conflicts and tensions.
The meeting will consist of two main sessions — one on ‘Multilateralism: Collective Actions for Accelerating Progress towards SDGs’ and another on ‘Green Development: A LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) Approach’.
The development ministers’ meeting was preceded by the fourth and final development working group (DWG) meeting, which was held in Delhi from June 6-9.
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