PM's Principal Secy Mishra holds meet to take stock of G20 preparations

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister's Principal Secretary P K Mishra on Wednesday chaired the ninth meeting of the G20 coordination committee to take stock of preparations for the upcoming Summit of the grouping here.

In a statement after the meeting, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said a mobile app (G20 India) has been launched for G20 for the first time and is now available for download both on Android and iOS. The PMO said G20 delegates and members of the media will also witness digital India first hand through the 'Innovation Hub' and 'Digital India Experiential Hub' which are being set up at the Bharat Mandapam.

It was noted in the meeting that work progress on the ground and on-site at the Bharat Mandapam, which will host some key G20 meetings, was satisfactory.

For a uniquely Indian experience, exhibitions on culture and 'Mother of Democracy' are being set up in the Bharat Mandapam, it said.

Mishra also reviewed progress in installation of Nataraj statue at the venue and especially curated programmes for the spouses of visiting leaders, it said.

Noting that restrictions are being placed due to security and protocol reasons, Mishra said efforts should be made to ensure minimum inconvenience is caused to the public.

"He directed that essential services in the city should not be affected. Further, communications regarding traffic restrictions be made more user-friendly," it said. Traffic advisory has already been issued for the public, it added.

Media arrangements for the Summit were also reviewed. So far, more than 3,600 requests have been received, including from foreign media, and accreditation letters are being issued, it said, adding that the media centre at Bharat Mandapam will be fully ready by the end of this week.

On logistics side, it was noted in the meeting that drills are being held and dress rehearsals have been planned for the coming days. He was also briefed on security aspects and asked officers concerned and heads of organisations to make every effort to host an impeccable summit. For smooth coordination between various agencies, it was decided that a multi-agency control room will be set up at Bharat Mandapam. Mishra will undertake field and site visits over next few days to check the state of readiness on the ground, it added.

The meeting was attended by senior officers from G20 Secretariat and Ministries of External Affairs, Home, Culture, Information and Broadcasting and the Department of Telecom.