Did the hosting of G20 Summit cost India 7 times more than Germany?

Updated: Sep 10th, 2023

New Delhi during G20 Summit (img: IANS)

The noise in the capital has been echoing across the global south and beyond as India is currently practising its G20 presidency under the chairmanship of PM Modi. The fandango has been a blinding sight of celebration, illuminating every alley of New Delhi.

However, the national capital’s administrative complications have yet again rekindled the war of words between the BJP and the opposition.

BJP Minister Discloses G20 Expense

It was the BJP’s minister of state for external Affairs and Culture of India, Meenakshi Lekhi’s post on X replying to a video posted by the Aam Aadmi Party, which projected a rough draft of the expenditure carried out in New Delhi for infrastructure improvement of the area used for the G20 Summit.

The BJP minister’s post tallied an expenditure of nearly ₹4,110.7 cr for the G20 Summit.

The rough invoice mentioned several expenses, from painting to branding. Several departments were also mentioned where the amount was allotted, and a rough bifurcation was also stated.

The minister also stated that “the work is paid for and done by centre” against the claims made by the AAP that sufficient funds weren’t provided to the state government machinery.

IMG posted on X by BJP Minister Meenakshi Lekhi

Opposition’s Saket Gokhale alleges hefty expenditures for G20 Summit

It was the member of Rajya Sabha from West Bengal and Trinamool Congress leader Saket Gokhale who framed allegations about the G20 expenditure.

Gokhale took to X and posted an image from the G20 Germany’s website, which published the expenses the country bore for the G20 Summit in 2017, which saw the city of Hamburg playing host to it.

The website stated that organising and pulling together the summit cost them approximately €72.2m (₹641.3 cr).

Germany's G20 Summit Expenditure in 2017 (img: G20 Germany website)

As per Gokhale’s allegations, India shelled out this whopping amount, which is approximately 6-7 times what Germany spent on hosting the summit.

Gokhale’s allegations further drew attention to how this was an expense made solely “for Delhi”. He further alleged that “this cost of ₹4100 crores does not include: (a) costs of G20 events held throughout 2023 outside Delhi (b) losses caused by the 3-day lockdown in NDMC area (c) Money taken from states like the AAP-run Delhi Govt for G20”.

The centre has not yet issued any clarification over the catapulted expense for the G20 Summit.

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