Prime Minister Narendra Modi with US President Joe Biden and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva during the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Monday (November 18, 2024). | Photo Credit: PTI
Countries in the Global South are most affected by the food, fuel, and fertilizer crisis caused by global conflicts, and the G-20 must prioritize their concerns and priorities, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday (November 18, 2024). ).
In his speech on the first day of the G-20 summit, Mr Modi praised the group’s Brazilian president for taking “people-centric decisions” taken at the bloc’s summit in New Delhi last year.
India’s G-20 president’s call for “One Earth, One Family, One Future” continued to resonate in the Rio conversation, he said.
US President Joe Biden, Mr. Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, French President Emmanuel Macron, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer were among the leaders who attended the two-day summit at Rio de Janeiro’s Museum of Modern Art.
“I would like to say that countries in the Global South are most affected by the food, fuel and fertilizer crisis caused by the global conflict,” he said.
“So our discussions can only be successful when we remember the challenges and priorities of the Global South,” he said.
The Prime Minister made comments at the G-20 session on ‘Social Inclusion and the Fight Against Hunger and Poverty’.
The highlight of the opening day was the launch of a global alliance to fight poverty and hunger that has been supported by at least 80 countries.
In his address at X, Mr. Modi called the initiative “laudable” saying it marked an important step to ensure food security and uplift vulnerable communities around the world. “India assures its full support for this endeavour.” In his speech at the session, the Prime Minister said that India believes in “Back to Basics” and “March to Future” approach and therefore emphasizes on organic farming, popularizing millets, and encouraging climate-resistant crop varieties.
Mr. Modi also called for reform of global governance institutions.
“And just as we amplified the voice of the Global South by giving permanent membership of the G-20 to the African Union during the New Delhi summit, we will transform the institutions of global governance,” he said.
Mr Modi said the decisions taken at the G-20 summit in New Delhi had been “taken during the presidency of Brazil”.
“It is a matter of great satisfaction that we prioritize the SDGs (sustainable development goals). We focus on inclusive development, women-led development, and youth empowerment,” he said.
“And give wings to the hopes and aspirations of the Global South. Clearly, One Earth, One Family, One Future is as relevant at this summit as it was last year,” he said.
The theme of India’s G-20 presidency is taken from the ancient Sanskrit text Maha Upanishad.
Talking about India’s initiatives to tackle hunger and poverty, Mr. Modi said India has lifted 250 million people out of poverty in the last 10 years and distributed free food grains to 800 million people in the country.
The Prime Minister also highlighted the steps India is taking to strengthen food security in Africa and elsewhere.
“Over 800 million people are given free food grains; 550 million people benefit from the largest health insurance scheme in the world,” he said.
“Now, 60 million senior citizens, over 70 years old, will also benefit from free health insurance,” he said.
“Keeping our focus on women-led development and social inclusion, more than 300 million women microentrepreneurs have been linked to banks and given access to credit,” Mr. Modi added.
The Prime Minister also spoke about India’s crop insurance scheme.
“Under the world’s largest crop insurance scheme, more than 40 million farmers have received benefits worth US$20 billion,” he said.
“Under the farmers’ scheme, more than 40 billion dollars in aid has been provided to 110 million farmers. Institutional credit worth 300 billion dollars was given to farmers,” he said.
Mr. Modi said that India should not only ensure food security but also focus on nutrition. He said that New Delhi is also contributing to global food security by sending food to various countries.
“The main reason for our success is our approach: back to the basics and forward to the future,” he said.
“We are not only focused on natural agriculture and organic agriculture but also on new technologies. We have focused on sustainable agriculture, environmental protection, nutrition, and food security by promoting Sri Anna or millet,” he said.
The Prime Minister said that India has developed more than 2,000 climate-resilient crop varieties and has embarked on a ‘Digital Agriculture Mission’.
“India’s digital public infrastructure enables social and financial inclusion. With aspirational district and block projects, we are creating a new model for inclusive development that strengthens the weakest links,” he said.
Mr. Modi began his visit to Brazil after completing a two-day trip to Nigeria.
Published – 19 November 2024 02:01 IST
