Climate crisis, impact on farmers to be focus of G20 meet: Tomar
“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India’s interest will be protected,” Tomar said when asked if India will succumb to the pressure from the developed world to end subsidies in the farm sector.
India’s interest to safeguard the support to agricultural production through subsidies will be protected at the meeting of G20 nations, Union farm minister Narendra Singh Tomar said on Monday.
After inaugurating the first International Financial Architecture Working Group Meeting of G20 nations at Hotel Lalit in Chandigarh, Tomar said at a media briefing that the support for farm production cannot be diluted.
“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India’s interest will be protected,” Tomar said when asked if India will succumb to the pressure from the developed world to end subsidies in the farm sector.
On climate change impacting agriculture globally, Tomar, accompanied by food processing minister Pashupati Kumar Paras, said that the yearlong deliberations of G20 under India’s presidency will focus on climate change and its impact on the livelihood of farmers. “It’s a global challenge and G20 is going to be a fruitful platform to have deliberations on the issue,” Tomar said.
Under the chairmanship of India, the grouping of the world’s largest economies will explore how multilateral development banks, the principal agents of development, can be better equipped to meet the global challenges of the 21st century, the farm minister said.
The G20 presidency will take India’s global status to “historical heights”, he said. “Earlier, such global summits used to be held only in Delhi, Hyderabad or Bengaluru. Thanks to the vision of the Prime Minister, more than 200 meetings are being held in 50 places in the country to showcase India’s cultural and historical strength to the delegates. The delegates will get the opportunity to visit each and every corner of the country,” Tomar said.
The theme of India’s G20 chairmanship, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family), underlines this message of equitable development and a shared future for all, Tomar said.
“The challenges being faced are global in nature and require global solutions. Therefore, the world community today needs to lay greater emphasis on globally coordinated policies and actions,” he said. “There is a need for renewed faith in multilateralism.”
The G20 summit aims to strengthen weaker sections of societies of the member countries, he said. More than 2 lakh delegates from the member countries will participate in the deliberations to chalk out a common strategy for problems the G20 nations are facing, Tomar added.
“In today’s world, different countries have common problems and there are some issues in which member countries can complement each other. The G20 is the ideal forum to find solutions to all common issues,” he said.
Food processing minister Paras said getting the G20 presidency is a proud moment for India. “All credit for this goes to Prime Minister Modi, who has been rated as one of the best Prime Ministers in the world,’ he said.
Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Monday ducked questions on the three farm laws, which were withdrawn by the central government after a backlash from farmers. “Ye sab bhootkaal ki batten hain. Inpe charcha karke kya fayda (All this is a matter of the past. There is nothing to be gained by discussing them),” he said.
