Major setback to China, Pak
170 dignitaries arrive
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Apr 26: In a major setback to China and Pakistan which lobbied hard with G20 countries to sabotage Youth-20 (Y20) meeting in Leh in the Union Territory of Ladakh from April 26-28, delegates from almost all member countries except China have reached Leh for the session which will formally begin tomorrow morning in the presence of Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting and Youth Services and Sports Anurag Thakur and Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh Brig (Retd) Dr BD Mishra.
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“As many as 170 dignitaries including 100 foreign delegates have reached Leh during last two days. Most of them spent the day visiting Hemis and Thiksay Monasteries, lakes and other picturesque areas enjoying scenic beauty of Ladakh,” officials told the Excelsior.
Foreign delegates from different countries interacted with the Excelsior in Leh and were all praise for scenic beauty of Leh as well as arrangements made for the delegates by the UT administration of Ladakh. They said they are eagerly looking forward to tomorrow’s meeting in Leh.
Some of the foreign delegates said the session on ‘Climate Change’ will be of great significance to them and they have come well prepared to speak on the topic. Most of them said they are visiting Ladakh for the first time but added that now they would like to visit there again and again.
“We will spread a message in our countries that there is a beautiful place called Ladakh. The people here are very courteous. Scenic beauty has no match. Mountains, lakes, Monasteries are worth visiting. Tourists from our countries would definitely visit Ladakh now,” they said.
Officials were jubilant over such a massive participation of foreign delegates in Y20 meeting.
Sources were of the view that a very strong message has gone to China and Pakistan who opposed international gatherings in the Union Territories of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir that they have no major support with them as delegates from most of the countries have reached Leh to attend tomorrow’s meeting.
The Central Government officials camping in Leh were confident that G20 meeting on Tourism Working Group (TWG) in Srinagar from May 22-24 will also be a great success.
During the three-day main event in Leh, discussion and deliberation on various issues like climate, environment, health and wellbeing and sports will be held. This is for the first time, not only after the erstwhile State’s reorganisation and creation of the two UTs in 2019, but also after an international cricket match in Srinagar in 1983, that a major international event is being held in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
Lieutenant Governor, Brig (Retd.) B.D. Mishra, hosted a dinner for the delegates tonight.
Union Minister Anurag Thakur and Dr Mishra will be present during inauguration of Y20 sessions at 10.30 am tomorrow at Sindhu Sanskriti Kendra Auditorium. Senior officials from the Central Government will also be present at inaugural as well as concluding sessions at Y20 pre-summit.
The meeting, as per the officials, will focus on the five Y20 themes of Shared Future: Youth in Democracy and Governance ; Future of Work: Industry 4.0, Innovation & 21st Century Skills; Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction: Making Sustainability a Way of Life; Peace Building and Reconciliation: Ushering in an era of No War and Health, Wellbeing & Sports: Agenda for Youth.
The main G20 event in Jammu and Kashmir, a conference of the Working Group on Tourism, is scheduled to be held at SKICC Srinagar from May 22-24. The delegates are scheduled to visit Dal Lake, Dachigam National Park and Gulmarg on the side-lines of the first international conference being held after abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019.
‘Goa Declaration’ which will be adopted in Goa after last meeting of the G20 Tourism Working Group will be finalized in the meeting to be held at Srinagar, the officials said.
Meanwhile, LG Ladakh Brig (Retd) B D Mishra today said the three-day Y20 Pre-summit taking place in Leh is an opportunity to convey the message to the G20 group of nations that India is “here” and “moving forward”.
Mishra interacted with some of the delegates from other countries, and said he was happy that Leh was contributing in a big way to finding possible solutions to several problems plaguing the world by hosting the event.
“This (hosting the event) is one of the contributions (of Ladakh to G20 and Y20), and I would say that we are feeling happy about the fact that we (as a country) are conveying a message to the entire G20 countries that we also are here and we are moving forward,” said Mishra.
Mishra lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for having the vision to organise the G20 programme on such a grand scale.
“This (G20 success) is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision. The G20 has been going on for a very long time and several countries have been its chairpersons. But the Narendra Modi government has given it a new direction, a new theme and a new vision. No one else can do it,” said the Lt Governor.
“I don’t think a programme like this has been organised by any other G20 country,” he added.
He also called the people, coming to India for different events being organised under G20, as ambassadors who will speak in glowing terms about India when they return home.
“The people who have come from other countries are our ambassadors. They will go back and they’ll all talk about it (how successfully India is presiding over G20).” He added that G20 had become a household name in India.
“The enthusiasm that G20 has generated (in India), even the person who doesn’t know one word of English knows about G20. Secondly, the social, economic and emotional bond that it is forging (in the country) and the footprint it is leaving is unique. It is playing a key role in bringing the people in the country close. It is playing a big role in that. This is one of the (several) carry homes of G20,” he said.
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