News18 G20 Town Hall Highlights: Piyush Goyal Says India Will Be Engine of Global Growth

Speaking at CNN-News18’s Town Hall, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said that developing nations will be the world’s growth engine in future.

Speaking at CNN-News18’s Town Hall, Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday said that like India, other developing countries should get such opportunities and we aim to do that.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday spoke at the CNN-News18’s Town Hall and highlighted India’s “increasingly important” role in the global supply chain.

Alex Ellis, British High Commissioner to India, speaking at the CNN-News18 Town Hall, said that “India is the right country at the right time for G20 presidency, and that “it can bring the world together.”

Alex Ellis, British High Commissioner to India, speaking at the CNN-News18 Town Hall, said that the UK was sending strong signals against extremism, and said this was including the Khalistani extremism.

“Protests are legal but extremism in any form in UK is a problem for us…including Khalistani extremism…it is not an India problem but UK problem…it is not okay to attack embassy,” Ellis said.

Harsh Vardhan Shringla, speaking at the CNN-News18 Town Hall, said that early in India’s presidency, the country took most of the G20 events to the Northeast and that this was very “remarkable” as very few international events were held there.

Chief Coordinator for India’s G20 Presidency in 2023 Harsh Vardhan Shringla spoke at the CNN-News18 Town Hall and said that India has come a long way in it’s growth in the global arena.

Meenakshi Lekhi, Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture of India, speaking at the CNN-News18 Town Hall on Tuesday said that from Chandrayaan to G20, the year 2023 has been a watershed moment for the country.

Naor Gilon, Ambassador of Israel to India said that the “people-to-people” connect between Indians and Israelis and the “emotional bond” between the two nations make the bilateral relations very strong.

Speaking at the CNN-News18 Town hall, Naor Gilon, Ambassador of Israel to India said that the two nations are “natural allies.”

Gilon also said that India is a great ally to everyone.

Ugo Astuto, Ambassador of the European Union to India and Bhutan said that the EU and India are aiming for a “ambitious” Free Trade Agreement (FTA), and that therefore it’s process is complex.

The two parties have already met five times, he said, adding that a sixth round is due in October.

“We share the same determination to work together for a productive FTA,” Astuto said.

Ugo Astuto, Ambassador of the European Union to India and Bhutan spoke about the ongoing Russian offensive in Ukraine calling it “unjustifiable.”

“EU believes that…there can be no infringement of UN Charter….the aggression against Ukraine is unjustifiable,” he said.

Ugo Astuto, Ambassador of the European Union to India and Bhutan, spoke at the CNN-News18 Town hall and said that the EU supports all the initiatives taken by India for the expansion of G20 under its presidency.

India will aim to include the African Union as part of the G20 under its presidency, with an aim to give more voice to the global south, Amitabh Kant  told CNN-News18.

Speaking at the CNN-News18 Townhall, Amitabh Kant said that India is confident to bring consensus on developmental issues and to find solution to geopolitics. “We will bring everyone together,” he said.

Speaking at the CNN-News18 Townhall, Amitabh Kant said that the G20 summit will put forth the voice of global south. “We believe that the future depends on developing nations,” Kant said.

Ahead of the G20 summit, Amitabh Kant said that India is becoming the voice of both the developing markets and emerging markets.

‘CNN-News18 Town Hall’  will also shed light on how the G20 theme underscores the interconnectedness of global challenges and the need for collaborative solutions through discussions on culture, academics, and politics.

The G20 Town Hall will explore India’s G20 theme – ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’, and the country’s role in driving the development agenda under the theme.

Commenting on the special edition of the Town Hall, CNN-News18 managing editor Zakka Jacob said, “our Town Halls have always served as a neutral platform to engage in meaningful discussions that provide viewers with an opportunity to hear directly from political leaders and officials.”

“This time around, we intend to use the platform to highlight India’s promising position on the global map, which was bolstered by the presidency of G20. The G20 Town Hall will empower the audience with a deeper understanding of India’s G20 presidency and the nation’s pivotal global moment,” Jacob added.

CNN-News18 Town Hall’ is an on-ground event, which will be streamed live on CNN-News18 TV channel as well as its YouTube channel 6 pm onwards on Tuesday.

CNN-News18’s ‘G20 Town Hall,’ hosted in New Delhi, will see Union Minister Piyush Goyal, Meenakshi Lekhi, G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant, G20 Chief Coordinator Harsh Vardhan Shringla among others.

As the much-anticipated G20 Summit is just around the corner, CNN-News18’s ‘G20 Town Hall,’ will highlight India’s growing influence in geopolitics and will bring leaders and policy makers to discuss the country’s role in the current global arena on Tuesday evening.

China on Tuesday said it has supported India in hosting this year’s G20 Summit and it’s ready to work with all parties to push for the success of the high-profile global conference in New Delhi this week.

A mini-India will come alive at the massive International Media Centre set up in the Bharat Mandapam complex here which will host the G20 Leaders’ Summit later this week. Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur on Tuesday reviewed the preparations at the media site which will be the nerve centre for broadcasting the proceedings of the G20 meetings to the world. The media centre will host all domestic and international media delegates who will be in the national capital for coverage of the G20 Summit.

“The domestic and international media will have a range of facilities here, be it broadband connectivity, media lounges, kiosks, among others,” Thakur told PTI. The media centre can house over 3,000 media delegates and also has facilities such as small media booths for conducting one-on-one interviews, media briefing rooms with different capacities such as 50, 100 and 300 people. The live stand-up positions with Bharat Mandapam as the backdrop will also be available for media persons.

Delhi Airport has issued a notice to airmen (NOTAM) for the G20 Leaders’ Summit scheduled later this week.

Preparations for the G20 Summit are underway at Delhi’s Leela Palace hotel. The hotel’s Pastry Chef Astik Oberoi says, “We have curated a culinary team and a wonderful set of amenities for our guests who are staying with us… While we are celebrating the International Year of millets, we have curated millet bars made using 5 types of millets… We have a variety of exotic tarts made with fresh berries and we also have an edible frame made with 100 percent chocolate which resonates G20. We have a variety of cheese that comes from local produce, made in India. We have Indian ‘mithais’ with an edible chocolate elephant which depicts the royal symbol at the Leela palace in New Delhi…”

The G20 Summit in India will be an opportunity to make progress in implementing joint responses to major global challenges, France said on Tuesday, announcing its President Emmanuel Macron’s participation in the conclave.

Macron’s office in a statement said the summit will enable Macron to continue his ongoing dialogue with his counterparts from every continent to combat the “risks of fragmentation” of the world.

“It will also be an opportunity to make progress in implementing joint responses to the major global challenges that can only be tackled effectively through multilateral action: peace and stability, poverty alleviation, protection of climate and our planet, food security, and digital regulation,” it added.

Union I&B Minister Anurag Thakur inspects the International Media Centre at ITPO Complex for the G20 Summit.

The International Media Centre is all set to for the G20 Summit scheduled to be held on September 9 and 10.