Describing the G20 Parliamentary Speakers’ Summit (P20) as a Mahakumbh’ of parliamentary practices, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the legislative bodies are an important place for debate and deliberations.
Addressing the ninth P20 Summit at Yashobhoomi in the national capital on Friday, PM Modi said, “This summit is a ‘mahakumbh’ as it represents a convergence of parliamentary practices of the world. India landed on the Moon and hosted the G20 Summit successfully. Today, we are hosting the P20 Summit. This summit is also a platform to celebrate the power of the people of the world’s largest democracy (India).”
“We feel privileged to be hosting the ninth P20 Summit in India. We represent a country, which is the mother of democracy and the world’s largest as well. Parliaments or legislative bodies across the world are important places for holding discussions and debates,” he added.
Addressing the inaugural session of the ninth P20 Summit, Inter-Parliamentary Union President Duarte Pacheco said peace has to be maintained in all continents, including the Middle East, and efforts should be made globally in this direction.
His statement assumes significance amid the ongoing Israeli air strikes and ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza, following the terror attacks that have, so far, left over 1,300 dead and more than 3,300 injured.
“It’s impossible to talk about sustainable and developmental goals and talk about a future without peace. We need to defend peace in all continents including the Middle East. Peace should be on the front page. Even a single death is too much,” he said.
He also cautioned that conflicts and confrontations being faced by the world today do not benefit anyone, saying the world has to move forward with a human-centric approach.
While the G20 member countries attended the event, Canada was conspicuous by its absence at the 9th G20 Parliamentary Speakers’ Summit (P20).
Earlier this month, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, at a press briefing, informed that apart from G20 countries, 10 other countries and international organizations will participate in the P20 Summit and so far, 50 Parliamentarians and 14 Secretary Generals, including 26 Presidents, 10 Vice Presidents, one Committee Chairman and the IPU President have confirmed their participation.
Speakers and heads of delegation of Indonesia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Spain, European Parliament, Italy, South Africa, Russia, Turkiye, Nigeria, Australia, Brazil, UAE, Singapore, Japan, Egypt and Bangladesh were present at the event.
The itinerary on the inaugural day of the 9th G20 Parliamentary Speakers’ Summit (P20) and Parliamentary Forum includes two separate sessions on Friday. The first session comprises a discussion on ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’ with Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), showcasing achievements and accelerating progress. The second session will be on ‘One Earth Sustainable Energy Transition-Gateway to Green Future’.
India promoting participation of women in every sector: PM Modi
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said India is promoting participation of women in every sector with almost 50 per cent of the elected representatives in local self-government institutions being women.
The recent law on granting one-third reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies will further enrich the country’s parliamentary tradition, he said addressing the inaugural session of the ninth G20 Parliamentary Speakers’ Summit (P20) here.
Prime Minister Modi also said that India has more than 900 TV channels in 28 languages to provide real-time information to people and more than 33,000 different newspapers are published in about 200 languages.
He emphasised the huge flow of information and the level of freedom of speech in India.
“In this world of the 21st century, this vibrancy of India, unity in diversity, is our greatest strength. This vibrancy inspires us to fight every challenge and solve every difficulty together,” he said.
In his address, Inter-Parliamentary Union President Duarte Pacheco said maybe “if we have more women in the leadership of our countries, we will not have so many wars”.
He said it was important to have more women in a participatory democracy.
Modi informed the delegates about the recent decision of reserving 33 per cent seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies for women.
He also told them that out of more than 30 lakh elected representatives in the local self-government institutions, almost 50 per cent are women.
“India today is promoting women’s participation in every sector. The recent decision taken by our Parliament will further enrich our parliamentary tradition,” the prime minister asserted.