Webinar Link

Meeting No: 2516 596 1334
Password: group20

Certificate of Participants

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Abstract

In 2022, the world faced an unprecedented convergence of crises—post-pandemic recovery, climate breakdown, food and fuel shortages, and rising geopolitical tensions. Amidst one of the most challenging periods in modern history, India stepped up to lead the G20. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’, India united fractured global powers, driving bold solutions and fostering hope in a divided world.

The webinar offers a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the intense negotiations, strategic manoeuvring, and backroom diplomacy that defined India’s presidency.

About the Speakers

N.K Singh

Mr. N.K. Singh is a prominent Indian economist, academician, and policymaker. He is the Chairman of the 15th Finance Commission of India. Prior to this position, he presided as Chairman of the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Review Committee (FRBM), responsible for setting targets for the government to reduce fiscal deficits. He also served as a member of the Upper House of the Parliament, the Rajya Sabha, from 2008 to 2014, during which time he contributed to several prominent Parliamentary Standing Committees including the Public Accounts Committee, the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the Committee on Human Resource Development.

Mr. Singh had a long and distinguished career as a member of the Indian Administrative Services before his entry into politics and fiscal policy leadership. He served as Expenditure Secretary, responsible for overseeing the public financial management system in the Central Government and matters connected with state finances; Revenue Secretary, responsible for exercising control in respect of matters relating to all the Direct and Indirect Union Taxes and putting together ‘dream budget’, Secretary to the Prime Minister of India, among other senior leadership roles. As a member of the erstwhile Planning Commission, he was heading the Expert Committee on Power Sector Reforms, introduction of renewable form of energy as well as the important committee on Foreign Direct Investment to India. The responses to these recommendations opened India substantially for larger foreign equity flows. He was part of the core group of advisors and strategists during India’s economic reforms of 1991. He was principal interlocutor for negotiations with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for structural adjustments, loans and Balance of Payment support instrumentalities.

Amitabh Kant

Amitabh Kant is India’s G20 Sherpa, and the former Chief Executive Officer of the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) (2016-2022), as well as the former Secretary of the Department for Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) (2014-2016), Government of India (GoI). He is a member of the Indian Administrative Service, IAS (Kerala Cadre: 1980 Batch). He was also the Chairman and CEO of the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (DMICDC) and Chairman of the National Productivity Council.

Mr Kant is the author of “Branding India – An Incredible Story,” and has been a key driver of the “Make in India,” Startup India, “Incredible India,” and “God’s Own Country” initiatives which positioned and branded India and Kerala State as leading manufacturing and tourism destinations. These campaigns have won several international awards and embraced a host of activities – infrastructure development, product enhancement, private-public partnership, and brand building. Mr Kant also conceptualised and executed the “Atithi Devo Bhavah” – “Guest is God” campaign to train taxi drivers, guides, immigration officials and make them stakeholders in the tourism development process. As National Project Director of the Rural Tourism Project of UNDP, he oversaw a paradigm shift in spreading tourism to Indian villages that have core-competencies in handicrafts, handloom, and culture.

Deepak Mishra

Deepak Mishra is the Director and Chief Executive of the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER). Prior to joining ICRIER, he was the Practice Manager at the World Bank’s Macroeconomics, Trade, and Investment Global Practice, responsible for East Asia and Pacific region. Deepak has held various positions at the World Bank, including the Co-director of the World Development Report 2016 (Digital Dividends), Country Economist for Ethiopia, Pakistan, Sudan and Vietnam. His research work has been published in various academic journals including the Journal of Development Economics, the Journal of International Economics and the Journal of Agriculture Economics.

Deepak has also served as the World Bank’s Country Economist for India, based in New Delhi, and working closely with the Government of India and with several state governments including Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Punjab. Prior to joining the World Bank, Deepak worked at Tata Motors, Federal Reserve Board and the University of Maryland. Born in Odisha, Deepak received his M.A. (Economics) from the Delhi School of Economics and Ph.D. (Economics) from the University of Maryland.