India is all set to host the Group of 20 summit on September 9 and 10. The summit is scheduled to be held in Bharat Mandapam at New Delhi’s Pragati Maidan. It will see participation from several world leaders, including US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Australian PM Anthony Albanese, Japan PM Fumio Kishida and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
India assumed the presidency of the grouping in December last year and it is going to culminate with the final summit which starts on September 9. All eyes are now set on the national capital where extensive arrangements have been made for the summit.
Since the start of the presidency, India has hosted several meetings to discuss issues on sectors like health, tourism and finance. Events in the country were hosted in several cities. Expectedly, the country has spent significant amount of money on the grand summit in Delhi and the various events related to the G20 presidency.
According to the budget for 2023-24, the government had allocated Rs 990 crore for G20 presidency. The finance minister had said during the budget that the presidency gave India a unique opportunity to strengthen its role in the world economic order.
While the budget for direct expenses related to the presidency has been presented, the government has also spent money on preparation of New Delhi for the grand summit. Over Rs 4,100 crore was spent on Delhi in lead up to the G20 summit, according to a document posted by Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi on X. As per the document, the cost was incurred by Delhi and central government agencies.
According to the report, the money was spent on roads, security, footpaths and lighting, among several other things. Several sculptures have also been installed at various places in the national capital as part of the makeover process. Other direct costs related to the event being held in Delhi have not been revealed so far.
Countries in the past have spent significant amount of money on the G20 summit. According to available data for summits till 2018, Canada spent CAD 715 million on the 2010 summit in Toronto. The cost of Buenos Aires summit in 2018 stood at $112 million.
The last summit was held in Bali, Indonesia, in November 2022.
