Less than 24 hours after he made the point in Abuja, Nigeria that stepping out of the comfort zone and innovating has become the essence of today's India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the gathering of world leaders at the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
Speaking at the session on 'Social Inclusion and the Fight Against Hunger and Poverty', held at the bayside museum of modern art, Prime Minister Modi said that the very reason India has succeeded has been the 'back to basics and march to the future' approach by his government.
During the two-day 19th G20 Summit, PM Modi remarked that "The people-centric decisions taken at G20 Summit in New Delhi last year have been taken forward during Brazil's Presidency. It's a matter of great satisfaction that we prioritised the SDG goals. We spoke of inclusive development, women-led development, and youth power, and we gave wings to the hopes and aspirations of the Global South.
Referring to the G20 mantra, he stated, "It is clear that One Earth, One Family, One Future is as relevant at this summit as it was last year." Sharing India's achievements, he said, "India has lifted 250 million people out of poverty over the last 10 years. Over 800 million people are being given food grains free of cost.". 550 million people benefit from the world's largest health insurance program. Now, 60 million elderly people, above 70 years of age, will also be able to avail free health insurance.
Highlighting women’s empowerment and social inclusion, he added, “Over 300 million women micro-entrepreneurs have been linked to banks and given access to credit. Under the world’s largest crop insurance scheme, over 40 million farmers have received benefits worth 20 billion US dollars. Under the farmers’ scheme, assistance worth over 40 billion dollars has been given to 110 million farmers. Institutional credit worth 300 billion US dollars is being given to farmers.”
PM Modi also underlined nutrition and food security: "The Saksham Anganwadi and Nutrition 2.0 campaign, that is an Integrated Nutrition Support Programme, focuses particularly on nutrition for pregnant women, newborn babies, children below six, and adolescent girls. Particular attention was being paid to the nutritional needs of children in schools through the Mid-Day Meal scheme."
The Prime Minister mentions India's global contributions: "We have provided humanitarian assistance to Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, recently. The main reason for our success is our approach: 'back to basics' and 'march to the future.' We have focused not only on natural farming and organic farming but also on new technologies. We have focused on sustainable agriculture, protection of the environment, nutrition, and food security by promoting Sri Ann or millets."
He also detailed agriculture developments, saying, "India has developed over 2,000 climate-resilient crop varieties and started the 'Digital Agriculture Mission,' while at the same time, digital public infrastructure enabled social and financial inclusion. With the Aspirational Districts and Blocks project, we created a new model for inclusive development that strengthens the weakest link."
Reiterating support for Brazil's initiative of a "Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty," Modi called it "an important step towards the implementation of the Deccan High-Level Principles for Food Security adopted at the New Delhi Summit."
Batting for developing countries, he said, "The countries of the Global South are most adversely impacted by the food, fuel, and fertilizer crisis caused by global conflicts.". Therefore, all our discussion can be successful only when we keep in mind the challenges and priorities of the Global South. And just as we amplified the voice of the Global South by granting permanent membership of G20 to the African Union during the New Delhi Summit, we will reform institutions of global governance."
The Summit would be attended by leaders of the 19 member countries and the European Union. It is the first time the African Union is coming as a full member of the grouping, having been inducted during last year's G20 Summit at New Delhi. Brazil has also invited 18 guest countries and 15 international organizations to take part in the Rio Summit.
Read also| ‘For Us, the Whole World is One Family’: PM Modi in Nigeria
