Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) [India], June 11 : Dressed in traditional attire, delegates to the G20 Development Ministers' Meeting and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar took part in the Ganga Arti ritual at the Dashashwamedh Ghat in Varanasi on Sunday evening.
Earlier, they were welcomed in a traditional way at Namo Ghat. Seeing the cultural artists dance, the delegates also shook a leg. Following this, they boarded the cruise vessel and reached Dashashmaved Ghat. During the Aarti, there was a special Shankhnaad for the guests.
G20 Development Ministers' meeting has started in Varanasi. A new roadmap for the development of global agriculture in 20 developing countries of the world including India will be prepared in Varanasi.
Agricultural scientists from all nations will brainstorm on the issues of agriculture, agricultural education, research etc. in the G20 meeting.
Earlier in the day, G20 delegates from Brazil, Germany, Japan, Indonesia and China on Sunday arrived at the Varanasi Airport.
Awadh's Faruwahi dance and Kashi Vishwanath Damru Vadan Samiti gave a grand welcome to the foreign guests at the airport. The foreign guests also performed Damru Vadan and Indian dance at the airport.
Among those who arrived were Australian politician Patrick Conroy, Brazil's Ambassador to India Mauricio Lyrio, European commissioner for International partnerships Jutta Urpilainen, German minister for economic cooperation and development Svenja Schulze, Japanese Minister Shunsuke Takei and China's Zhao Yifan among others.
Foreign guests were delighted to see the reception at the airport.
The G20 Development Ministers' Meeting under the G20 Indian Presidency is scheduled to be held between June 11-13 in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will chair the meeting.
The meeting, to be held as part of India's G20 Presidency will also see a special video address by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Ministry of External Affairs statement said.
The Varanasi Development Ministers' Meeting takes place in the midst of mounting developmental challenges that have been made worse by the slowdown in the global economy, debt distress, the effects of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss, rising poverty and inequality, the cost of living crisis, supply chain disruptions around the world, and geopolitical tensions and conflicts.
The G20 Development Ministerial meeting will be an opportunity to collectively agree on actions for accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and fostering synergies between the development, environment and climate agendas while avoiding costly trade-offs that hold back progress for the developing countries, the statement added.
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