PM Modi pitches for inclusive, sustainable growth models during G20 Summit in Johannesburg
PTC News Desk: Prime Minister Narendra Modi used the opening session of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg to call for a major rethink of global development priorities. He urged G20 countries to adopt growth models that are inclusive, sustainable, and based on ancient civilisational wisdom. Since Africa is hosting the summit for the first time, he said it is the right moment to reconsider how the world measures progress, especially for regions that have long suffered from lack of resources and environmental imbalance.
Speaking during the session on “Inclusive and sustainable economic growth leaving no one behind,” the Prime Minister said India’s principle of Integral Humanism offered a template for more balanced growth. He also rolled out three major proposals aimed at reshaping cooperation on knowledge, skills and security across continents.
Modi began by stressing the importance of protecting traditional, sustainable ways of living. He proposed creating a Global Traditional Knowledge Repository under the G20. He said India’s “Indian Knowledge Systems” initiative could form the base for a platform that collects and preserves eco-friendly and culturally rooted practices from communities across the world. This repository would help ensure that traditional wisdom on health, the environment, and social harmony is recorded and passed on, especially at a time when climate change and changing lifestyles are causing global challenges.
G20–Africa Skills Multiplier Initiative
Highlighting that Africa’s progress is crucial for the world, Modi announced a major skill-development programme for the continent’s young population. He proposed the G20–Africa Skills Multiplier Initiative, a train-the-trainer model supported by all G20 countries.
These trainers would then go on to skill millions more, creating a strong workforce and opening up large job opportunities. Modi linked this proposal to India’s long-standing ties with Africa and reminded leaders that during India’s G20 Presidency, the African Union became a permanent member.
Modi also raised concerns about the global spread of dangerous synthetic drugs like fentanyl, warning that they threaten public health, social stability, and security systems. He called for a special G20 Initiative to fight the link between drugs and terrorism. This initiative would bring together financial, governance, and security systems to break drug networks, stop illegal money flow, and weaken a major source of terror funding. He said this problem requires united global action.
With the summit focused on inclusive and sustainable development, Modi said Africa’s presence on the G20 stage gives the world a chance to “correct its course.” His proposals—from sharing traditional knowledge to boosting skills in Africa and tackling global drug-terror networks—are expected to influence the broader talks on shaping the next decade of global cooperation.
- With inputs from agencies
