Delegates of the G20 Business 20 (B20) Summit 2023 visited Sikkim from 16th to 18th March 2023. To welcome those international visitors, SBM-G Sikkim spruced up public spaces ensuring visual cleanliness. Apart from cleaning of roads and market areas, colourful baskets or bins were placed in public spaces to ensure that garbage was segregated at source. In addition, many community sanitary complexes were painted and cleaned in preparation for the visit of 31 delegates from various nations.
The north eastern state of Sikkim was the first state to be declared open defecation free (ODF) on 27th May 2016. Ever since then, the state government has been initiating various measures to manage waste and maintain a clean environment. In that same year, it issued a notification banning the sale and use of single use plastics and other disposable items with immediate effect.
The state has public toilets every one or one and a half kms, and dustbins at regular intervals on the roads. While waste burning is strictly prohibited, garbage vans are available, and these transport non-biodegradable waste that cannot be recycled to the landfill. Further, under Phase II of SBM-G, soak pits were constructed in all villages and because soak pits help enhance the groundwater table, even in dry areas such as Neopaney Gaon, people have started growing vegetables and selling them. Additionally, many houses have household-level compost pits. The district administration is now converting all single pit toilets into twin pit toilets to ensure the safe management of faecal sludge.
The delegates included representatives of The Group of Twenty (G20) countries (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Türkiye, United Kingdom and the United States along with representatives from Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh).
On arrival, the delegates had a grand customary welcome with performances from 15 ethnic groups of Sikkim at the Greenfield Airport in Pakyong.
The B20 is the official G20 dialogue forum with the global business community and among the most prominent Engagement Groups of G20. For Sikkim, the B20 will offer a huge opportunity to highlight the economic potential and pave the way for partnerships with business communities from G20 countries. Known for its incredible natural beauty and strategic location, Sikkim offers a wide range of opportunities for multilateral business partnerships in Tourism, Hospitality, Agriculture and Pharmaceuticals. It is a rare forum where we can collectively present our economic strengths to the esteemed delegates from the G20 countries.
The theme of India’s G20 Presidency is – “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” or “One Earth. One Family. One Future”
Swachh Bharat (Grameen) 