The G20 admitted a new permanent member at its New Delhi Summit today: the African Union. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the two-day event, talking about human-centric development and the need to lessen the trust deficit in global supply chains, which came about as a result of the Covid-19 induced pandemic. He also assured all possible assistance to Morocco, where an earthquake took hundreds of lives this morning. At the Summit, Modi’s country card reads ‘Bharat’.

Modi earlier welcomed world leaders and foreign delegates as they arrived at New Delhi’s Bharat Mandapam for the Summit. The Summit began today, amid divisions in the grouping over the Russia-Ukraine war and China’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific and the South China Sea. World leaders including US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Japan PM Fumio Kishida, Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reached the national capital on Friday (September 8).

Welcoming world leaders and foreign delegates who will be attending the Summit, President Droupadi Murmu said, “India’s G20 Presidency theme, ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – One Earth, One Family, One Future’, is a global roadmap for sustainable, inclusive, and human-centric development. I wish the participants of G20 Summit every success in their efforts towards realising this vision.”

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A war of words has escalated over using Bharat instead of India after invitations to G20 summit dinner had 'President of Bharat'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday addressed the G20 Summit being held at New Delhi's Pragati Maidan. The country name, in front of the Prime Minister, was seen as 'Bharat'.

The country's name was displayed as 'Bharat' on the name card in front of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as he addressed the G20 Summit in New Delhi on Saturday. At the summit, PM Modi was also identified as the leader representing 'Bharat'.

Videos and photos widely shared on social media showed a placard displaying 'Bharat', as PM Narendra Modi delivered his inaugural address at the summit.

The government has used 'Bharat', a name used in the Constitution for the country along with India, in several official G20 documents. It is a conscious decision, reported news agency PTI, quoting official sources.

Ahead of his inaugural address, Prime Minister Modi welcomed a host of world leaders, including US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, at the Bharat Mandapam, the venue of the G20 Summit.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director and Chairman Kristalina Georgieva and World Trade Organisation (WTO) Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala were among the first to arrive at the newly built venue in Pragati Maidan.

Modi welcomed the world leaders against the backdrop of the replica of the Konark Wheel, a 13th-century artefact symbolising time, progress and continuous change.

Indian Media