PM Narendra Modi on Saturday made strong reforms pitch at the G20 Retreat saying said reform process is bound to face resistance and wanted it to be insulated from political pressures.. He also said that it should be people centric and not driven by stealth. He said that reforms are globally perceived as government programs, burden on the people. He said that this perception needed to be changed. He added that reforms are multi-stage process which must be institutionalized.
The retreat was hosted by Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott at the Queensland Parliament House where the leaders met without aides shortly before the annual summit of the 20 industrialised and major economies kicked off at the Brisbane Convention Centre in the afternoon.
In his remarks at the retreat, Abbott said the G20 leaders bear heavy responsibility to achieve economic change. "Nowhere on earth will there be a more influential gathering than this," he told the group. "The world is looking to all of us right now to try to demonstrate to an uncertain and at times anxious world there are people who know what they are doing, that there are people who have a plan... For growth and for jobs," Abbott said.
However, Abbott acknowledged there were limitations in what could be achieved, and that there would be inevitable disagreements among the leaders. He urged them to speak candidly and openly at the summit. "The only rules, as far as I'm concerned, are if we can speak from our heart rather than from a script, that would be good," he added.
A barbeque lunch was served to the G20 leaders.
As the US leads a sustained campaign against the dreaded terror outfit Islamic State (IS), Prime Minister Modi said success against global terror is within reach if countries adopt a common strategy. The call for a common strategy by Modi came during his bilateral meeting with French President Francois Hollande on the sidelines of the G20 summit.
"Success against global terror is within reach if States adopt a common strategy," Modi told Hollande.
PM Narendra Modi on Saturday said that the repatriation of unnaccounted money abroad is a priority during an informal meeting with BRICS leaders. He said repatriation of unnaccounted money abroad is a key priority for India.
He called for close coordination on unaccounted money abroad and said poses security challenges.
Prime Minister Modi arrived at the venue of the G20 Summit on Saturday morning to participate in the meeting which will be attended by leaders from 20 nations including US President Barack Obama, Russian President Vladimir Putin among others. On Friday, Japanese PM Shinzo Abe hosted a dinner for his PM Modi before the G20 Summit. He said that he was happy to meet him once again. Modi also met wth EU President Herman Van Rompuy and UK Prime Minister David Cameron.
PM Modi also visited Queensland University of Technology.
PM Modi is scheduled to travel to Sydney after the G20 Summit in Brisbane, to attend a community reception. He will address the Indian Diaspora. On November 18, PM Modi will travel to Canberra for the special joint sitting of the Australian Parliament . Later, he will address a community event in Melbourne before travelling to Fiji.
With agency inputs
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