Sikkim will host two G20 events, Business (B20) and Startup 20, on March 16 and March 18, to showcase to the world the culture and tradition of the Himalayan state and its progress since its merger with India in 1975.
Harsh Vardhan Shringla, the chief coordinator for India’s G20 presidency, held a meeting with senior Sikkim government officials led by the state’s chief secretary V.B. Pathak in Gangtok on Friday to chalk out plans to host the two events. “The nitty-gritty pertaining to accommodation, security, venues for meetings, transportation, cultural events and other requirements were discussed,” said an official release.
It said Shringla informed the meeting that Sikkim would be the only Northeast state to host two G20 events because of its scenic beauty and infrastructure.
“These meetings will be attended by around 80 delegates from G20 countries,” the release added.
Shringla, a former foreign secretary, is understood to have told the meeting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wanted the 215 events to be held across 56 cities during the course of India’s year-long G20 presidency to be impeccable and uniquely Indian.
