'India has made it a people's G20': PM Modi during inaugural address

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday began his address at the inaugural session of the G20 Summit where he welcomed world leaders. The first session, ‘One Earth’, commenced at the Bharat Mandapam in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.

“Today, as the president of G 20, India calls upon the world together to transform the global trust deficit into one of trust and reliance. This is the time for all of us to move together,” he said.

PM Modi added, “In this time, the mantra of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas’ can be the torch bearer for us. Be it the divide between North and South, the distance between East and West, management of food and fuel, terrorism, cyber security, health, energy or water security, we will have to find a solid solution to this for future generations.”

#WATCH | G 20 in India | PM Modi at the G 20 Summit says “Before we start the proceedings of G20, I want to express my condolences over the loss of lives due to an earthquake in Morocco. We pray that all injured recover at the earliest. India is ready to offer all possible… pic.twitter.com/ZTqcg11cKI

— ANI (@ANI) September 9, 2023

Commenting on India’s presidency of G20, Modi said, “India has made a people’s G20. Crores of people have been associated with the presidency, over 200 meetings have taken place in more than 60 cities.”

PM Modi also welcomed the African Union as a new member of G20.

#WATCH | G 20 in India | Prime Minister Narendra Modi invites the Head of the African Union to take his seat, as a permanent member of the G20 as the first session of the Summit begins. pic.twitter.com/ueCe7pwNLS

— ANI (@ANI) September 9, 2023

A strong 6.8-magnitude earthquake reportedly killed at least 296 people and injured 153 in Morocco on Friday night, causing damage to buildings and sending panicking people into the streets.

Mentioning this in his address, PM Modi said, “Before we start the proceedings of G20, I want to express my condolences over the loss of lives due to an earthquake in Morocco. We pray that all injured recover at the earliest. India is ready to offer all possible assistance to Morocco in this difficult time.”

#WATCH | G 20 in India | PM Modi at the G 20 Summit says “Before we start the proceedings of G20, I want to express my condolences over the loss of lives due to an earthquake in Morocco. We pray that all injured recover at the earliest. India is ready to offer all possible… pic.twitter.com/ZTqcg11cKI

— ANI (@ANI) September 9, 2023

Calling on world leaders assembled at the ‘One Earth’ session, Modi said, “We have to move ahead with a human-centric approach.”

Talking about how the world has evolved from the COVID-19 pandemic, Modi said,  “The 21st century is an important time to show the world a new direction. This is the time when old problems are seeking new challenges from us and that is why we should move ahead fulfilling our responsibilities with a human-centric approach…If we can defeat COVID-19, we can also triumph over the trust deficit caused by the war.”