Modi's record spending on his G20
Despite its diplomatic success, the New Delhi summit has proven controversial domestically because of cost overruns, with a price tag far higher than previous summits. The opposition Aam Aadmi Party, which is in power in Delhi, is leading the attacks against the government. In its defence, the authorities say that the works paid for will be permanent.
New Delhi (AsiaNews) – Last week’s G20 summit in New Delhi cost far more than any previous G20 summit and was much as four times over budget.
While a diplomatic success for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the event has become a major bone of contention domestically, with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leading the army of critics.
The AAP is in power in the union territory of Delhi; its leader, Arvind Kejriwal, is also one of Modi’s main rivals in next year’s parliamentary elections.
The Indian government had originally earmarked 9.9 billion rupees (US0 million) for the G20. After the meeting, critics slammed the government for refusing to grant funding to the local government.
In her response, Union (federal) Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture Meenakashi Lekhi posted a chart with the expenditures incurred by the government to beautify Delhi for a total of 41.1 billion rupees (US$ 495 million), with 7 billion rupees (US$ 85 million) allocated for road construction and maintenance.
Overall, the New Delhi summit cost four times more than what had been initially earmarked, far more than any previous G20. By comparison, local media noted that Indonesia spent 674 billion Indonesian rupees (about US$ 44 million) on the G20 summit in Bali in 2022.
A study by the University of Toronto reports that the 2018 G20 summit in Buenos Aires (Argentina) cost US$ 112 million, while the 2017 G20 summit in Hamburg (Germany) cost US$ 77 million.
In the case of the 2016 G20 summit in Hangzhou (China), The Economist estimated a whopping price tag of US$ 24 billion, but Chinese authorities have never revealed the exact costs.
In its defence, the Modi government said that such comparisons are not valid since many works carried out for the G20 will remain after the summit.
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27/10/2021 15:34
10/07/2023 13:53
