AS PART of India’s G20 Presidency between December 2022 and November 2023, the Government is planning to host five key meetings focusing on the “culture track” at Khajuraho, Bhubaneswar, Hampi and Agra, The Indian Express has learnt. These cities have been chosen mainly for well-known monuments and UNESCO World Heritage Sites such as Taj Mahal and Agra Fort (UP), the Hindu and Jain temples of Khajuraho (Madhya Pradesh), the Konark Sun Temple around 65 km from Bhubaneswar (Odisha), and the sites at Hampi (Karnataka). Agra will host two of the five meetings, it is learnt. The Government had announced last month that there will be 215 meetings in all, spread across 55 sites, covering most states during India's G20 presidency. The main summit will be held in September at Delhi's International Exhibition Cum Convention Centre at Pragati Maidan, which is presently under construction and will be ready by mid-2023. For the culture track, a G20 Secretariat has been set up in the Ministry of Culture, which will hire a professional agency “for research, documentation and coordination work for the G20 work-stream of culture”, according to records reviewed by The Indian Express. Besides the five meetings, around 250 cultural events will be held on the sidelines for delegates for the duration of the G20 presidency, officials said. Setting the cultural agenda for the meetings, the records state: “This presidency also provides a fantastic opportunity for India to shape the global agenda on culture across multiple work streams and engagement areas. These include: a) protection and restitution of cultural property; b) advancement of traditional cultural practices for sustainable living; c) promotion of cultural and creative industries for livelihood generation; and d) preservation and dissemination of culture by leveraging technology.” Earlier, Siliguri, Rann of Kutch, Kashmir and Goa had been finalised as destinations for various G20 meetings by the Ministry of Tourism. Officials said India's presidency will be used as an opportunity to push the country as a preferred tourist destination, with delegates to be taken on familiarisation tours. During the G20 Presidency starting December 1 this year, India will invite Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Singapore, Spain and UAE as guest countries. The G20 is an intergovernmental forum comprising 19 countries — Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US — and the European Union.
