G20 an opportunity, Delhi has responsibility towards all of India’s guests: PM Modi

“The world’s trust and curiosity in India has increased. Soon, a new opportunity is going to present itself before us as a country and especially for the people of Delhi; this opportunity is the G20 Summit,” Modi said.

Underlining that the residents of the capital had an added responsibility, the prime minister asked them to ensure a “spectacular” summit and ensure that the delegates feel at home in Delhi.

He also issued an apology to the people of Delhi for the inconvenience that they may have to encounter due to arrangements being put in place for the event scheduled in early September.

“The entire country is the host but the guests will be arriving in Delhi. The citizens of Delhi have more responsibility…They have to ensure that the country’s image is not dented. There will be inconvenience— just like when a lot of guests arrive at our homes. But we have to ensure that we extend as warm a welcome as possible,” he said.

“The more respect we extend to our guests, the more we will get from the world…I’m apologising in advance to the people of Delhi for the inconvenience they will face…but I will also say that all these guests are our guests…We much ensure a spectacular, colourful summit…Let us exhibit the brotherhood, the love and respect characteristic of our culture to those part of the G20 Summit,” he added.

Following the success of Chandrayaan-3, the prime minister made an announcement regarding a day dedicated to India’s space programme. “The new National Education Policy will focus on the space programme as well…Every year, August 23 will be observed as National Space Day…Over the coming days, we too have some responsibilities; the scientists have done their bit,” he said.

The prime minister also announced initiatives around the successful lunar mission. He wanted them to be implemented by entities ranging from government departments to schools.

These will include a series of hackathons at the national level as well as a quiz related to the Chandrayaan mission, which will be offered on the mygov.in platform.

“I want to tell government departments to make use of what our space programme has taught us to deliver better and more transparent governance…The youth of our country has to get more interested in technology and science. We have to take this one more step forward,” he said. “To make India developed by 2047, we have to keep walking forward on the road of science and technology. We have to channelise this hope and enthusiasm into power.”