Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said countries in the Global South have been most adversely affected by the food, fuel and fertilizer crisis caused by global conflicts and the G20 should focus on addressing the challenges.
In an address on the first day of the G20 summit, PM Modi said India’s G20 theme “One Earth, One Family, One Future” is as relevant at the current summit as it was last year.
Leaders attending the two-day summit at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro include US President Joe Biden, PM Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
PM Modi said the people-centric decisions taken at the G20 summit in New Delhi last year have been taken forward during Brazil’s presidency of the bloc.
“I would like to say that countries in the Global South are most adversely affected by food, fuel and fertilizer crises caused by global conflicts,” he said.
“Therefore, our discussions can only be successful if we take into account the challenges and priorities of the Global South,” he said.
The Prime Minister made the remarks at the G20 session on ‘Social Inclusion and the Fight against Hunger and Poverty’.
The highlight of the opening day was the launch of a global coalition to tackle poverty and hunger which has been endorsed by at least 80 countries.
In his remarks, PM Modi also called for reforms in the institutions of global governance.
“And just as we amplified the voice of the Global South by granting the African Union permanent membership of the G20 during the New Delhi Summit, we will reform the institutions of global governance,” he said.
The Prime Minister said India supports Brazil’s initiative for a ‘Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty’.
“The people-centric decisions taken at the G20 Summit in New Delhi have been taken forward during Brazil’s presidency,” he said.
“It is a matter of great satisfaction that we prioritized the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). We focused on inclusive growth, women-led development and youth power,” he said.
“And give wings to the hopes and aspirations of the Global South. It is clear that One Earth, One Family, One Future is as relevant at this summit as it was last year,” he said.
The theme of India’s G20 chairmanship is taken from the ancient Sanskrit text Maha Upanishad.
“In the last 10 years, we have lifted 250 million people out of poverty,” PM Modi said.
In line with the theme of the session, PM Modi also detailed India’s success in addressing hunger and poverty.
“More than 80 crore people are being given free food grains. 55 crore people are benefiting from the world’s largest health insurance scheme,” he said.
“Now 6 crore senior citizens above 70 years of age will also be able to avail free health insurance,” he said.
“Maintaining our focus on women-led development and social inclusion, more than 300 million women micro entrepreneurs have been linked to banks and provided access to credit,” PM Modi said.
The Prime Minister also talked about India’s crop insurance scheme.
“More than 40 million farmers have received benefits worth US$20 billion under the world’s largest crop insurance scheme,” he said.
He said, “Under Kisan Yojana, more than $40 billion has been provided to 110 million farmers. Institutional credit worth US$300 billion is being given to farmers.”
PM Modi said that India is not only ensuring food security but is also paying attention to nutrition. He said that New Delhi is also contributing to global food security by sending food items to various countries.
“The main reason for our success is our approach: ‘back to basics’ and ‘marching towards the future’,” he said.
“We have focused not only on natural farming and organic farming but also on new technologies. We have focused on sustainable agriculture, protection of environment, nutrition and food security by promoting Sree Anna or Bajra,” he said.
The Prime Minister said India has developed more than 2000 climate-resilient crop varieties and launched a ‘Digital Agriculture Mission’.
He said, “India’s digital public infrastructure has enabled social and financial inclusion. With the Aspirational Districts and Blocks project, we have created a new model for inclusive growth that strengthens the weakest links.”
PM Modi began his visit to Brazil after concluding his two-day visit to Nigeria.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
