Udaipur gears up for G20 Sherpa meeting

From painting walls to depict the Indian culture to decking up heritage sites with lights, hectic preparations are underway in Rajasthan’s Udaipur for the first G20 Sherpa meeting under India’s presidency.

The meeting will be held from December 5 to 7.

“Udaipur will set a unique example in front of the country and the world by extending Mewari hospitality during the event,” District Collector Tara Chand Meena said on Tuesday.

Work for repairing and beautifying roads is in full swing, he said.

Various departments are at work to ensure that lakes are cleaned and heritage sites decked up with lights.

All preparations for the meeting will be completed by November 30, Meena said.

Shikha Saxena, deputy director of Regional Tourism Office, Udaipur, said, “The delegates will get a feel of the Indian culture with the special touch of Rajasthan. The entire city is being decorated and beautified.” “The delegates will get a glimpse of rural life at shilp gram. Attractive cultural performances will be the highlight of the hospitality,” she said.

The visiting delegates will be served Rajasthani delicacies. The menu, however, has not been finalised yet.

Murals have been painted on walls in various parts of the city. A senior police official said tight security arrangements will be in place during the event and Z-plus security cover will be provided to the delegates, who will arrive on December 4.

During their visit, the delegates will visit the City Palace and Jagmandir, where cultural performances will be held, according to official sources.

The three-day meeting will have sessions on various topics like accelerated, inclusive and resilient growth; multilateralism; food, fuel and fertiliser; and women-led development.

After the sessions, the delegates will visit the shilp gram at the West Zone Cultural Centre and enjoy cultural performances at Manek Chowk in the City Palace complex.

On December 7, they will visit the magnificent 15th-century Kumbhalgarh Fort in Rajsamand.

From there, they will head to the Ranakpur temple in Pali which is one of the most brilliant architectural monuments in the country.

The G20 or Group of 20 is an intergovernmental forum of the world’s major developed and developing economies.

It comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US, and the European Union (EU).