Some neighbouring countries tried to prevent India from hosting a G20 meeting in Ladakh, but it turned out to be a “hugely successful event” that saw the participation of youth from across the world, Union Minister Anurag Thakur said today.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the Y20 Summit here, the Sports and Youth Affairs Minister said India had taken its G-20 presidency to hundreds of schools and colleges across the country and sought the participation of the youth in shaping the global agenda.
“When we went to Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir, some neighbouring countries created such a hue and cry to prevent the pre-summit from taking place there. But, the meeting was hugely successful in spite of the attempts to stop it,” Thakur said.
The Y20 Summit at the Rudraksh International Cooperation and Convention Centre here was inaugurated by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and attended by 120 delegates from G-20 countries, guest nations and international organizations.
Addressing the attendees of the function, Adityanath said several youth icons, such as Lord Rama, Krishna and Buddha to more contemporary figures like Swami Vivekanand, Subhas Chandra Bose, Chandrasekhar Azad and Vinayaka Damodar Savarkar, all of them have inspired people throughout ages and guided the country towards a new direction.
The Chief Minister said the ‘Triveni’ (confluence of three factors) of demography, democracy, and diversity makes the country unique.
He added that the Narendra Modi Government at the Centre, in the last nine years, launched several youth-oriented schemes such as Stand Up India and Start-Up India for promoting innovation and research in the country.
Thakur, during his inaugural speech, said, “Underpinning our G20 presidency in a philosophy of our rich tapestry of values is ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbkam’, which resonates with the ethos that the world is a singular family. This profound sentiment encapsulates our guiding philosophy of ‘One Earth, One Family,’ One Future’. To achieve this common goal, Y20 India identified key five areas that guided the discussion and will help shape future actions. These themes represent the core areas where the young generation seeks to make a lasting impact.”
He said it was fitting on this occasion that the Y20 summit was being held in one of the oldest cities in the world, but also the city that is keeping in touch with modern times.
He added that thousands of schools and colleges from across the country had participated in the run-up events of Youth-20.
“We can see the images of the emergence of a new India whose destiny is being shaped by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” the Union Minister said.
