"INDIA HAS SET THE GOLD STANDARD FOR A G20 PRESIDENCY"

I&B Secretary Apurva Chandra decodes the impact of India's one-year presidency of the G20

- SIDDHARTH ZARABI

AHEAD OF THE 18TH G20 Heads of State and Government Summit in New Delhi on September 9-10, Apurva Chandra, Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B), tells Business Today how the one-year G20 presidency has helped the country bolster its image in the global arena, what it has to offer to the world, and the benchmark India has set. Edited excerpts:

What has India's presidency at the G20 meant and what has been achieved through this one year?

The G20 summit is the culmination of the efforts of the past one year. India has held various meetings of the working groups as well as the engagement groups. More than 50 cities, [and] almost all the states have been covered, and many delegates have come to India. A lot of deliberations have taken place on various issues.

India has some things to contribute to the world. On the economic side, take for example digital public infrastructure (DPI). It is one of the biggest achievements [of the country]... in India billions of transactions take place seamlessly through DPI. This infrastructure is led by the public sector and through the support of the government, while in many other countries, even if such infrastructure is made, it is through private enterprise. And it is open architecture where everybody can join in. It is hugely empowering, and this is something we are contributing to the world.

I think it is an effort of nine years [and] now the entire world is recognising that India has taken the lead. We are now the fifth-largest economy, and three to four years down the line we will be the third-largest economy. The entire world is taking note of these achievements.