At the recent virtual G20 (Group of Twenty) summit, India called for a “New Global Index” to set standards for the post-corona world. This index will rest on four pillars: Talent, Technology, Transparency, and Trusteeship towards the planet. The summit this year was hosted by Saudi Arabia.
Promoting Talent
India stressed the need to shift attention from capital and finance towards multi-skilling and reskilling to create a large human talent pool. Existing initiatives like the National Skill Development Mission (NSDM) aim to create skill training convergence across sectors and states. Other aligned programs include India’s New Education policy and the Pradhan Mantri Innovative Learning Program (DHRUV).
Enhancing Access to Technology
India emphasized the importance of technology reaching all segments of society, and the value of new technologies should be measured by their benefit to humanity. Follow-up action suggested included the creation of a G20 virtual secretariat as a storehouse of official documents. Indian campaigns like Digitial India and E-governance have broadened people’s access to technological resources and governmental services.
Ensuring Transparency
India highlighted practices like Right to Information and Ease of Doing Business that promote transparent governance.
Adopting Trusteeship
In matters of environmental concern, India advocated adopting a trusteeship role rather than ownership, thus inspiring us towards a holistic and healthy lifestyle. Climate change needs to be fought in an integrated, comprehensive manner. A potential benchmark could be the per capita carbon footprint measurement.
The G20 summit schedule for the forthcoming years is Italy in 2021, Indonesia in 2022, India in 2023, and Brazil in 2024.
India’s Environmentally Conscious Initiatives
India’s next-generation infrastructure initiatives aim to be not only efficient but also environmentally friendly. For instance, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, announced by the Prime Minister in 2017, aims to pool resources for eco-friendly construction.
The International Solar Alliance (ISA), a joint initiative of India and France, is focused on reducing the carbon footprint through clean energy production. As part of the Paris Climate agreement, India is on track to achieve its target of 175 GigaWatts of renewable energy well before 2022.
India’s promotion of LED lights through schemes like Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) and LED Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP) has resulted in saving about 38 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.
Through Ujjwala Scheme, smoke-free kitchens are provided to over 80 million households, making it one of the largest clean energy drives globally.
India’s National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) aims to reduce air pollution, resonating with the concept of trusteeship in governance. The Namami Gange program strives to rejuvenate River Ganga.
About G20
G20 is an unofficial group consisting of 19 countries and the European Union, with representatives from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. It represents approximately two-thirds of the world’s population, 85% of global gross domestic product, 80% of global investment, and over 75% of global trade. Its members include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, and the European Union.