G-20 Summit: Delhi will be decorated with over 10 lakh exotic potted plants

New Delhi: Over 10 lakh exotic potted plants will add to the beauty of the national capital as it gets ready to host the G20 Summit in September next year, forest department officials said on Wednesday.

The horticulture wings of the central and Delhi government departments, including the Delhi Development Department, New Delhi Municipal Council, Public Works Department and Municipal Corporation of Delhi, have been asked to decorate public spaces, roundabouts, major intersections, flyovers and vertical greens in the city with exotic flowering plants, an official said.

"Different species of exotic plants will be used for this purpose across Delhi. The locations and targets for each department will be finalised by April next year," the official said.

Another official said special attention will be given to the stretch between the Indira Gandhi International Airport and Lutyens Delhi, India Gate area and Pragati Maidan, the main venue of the G20 Summit in Delhi.

"Departments concerned have already been asked to float tenders for procurement of pots, plants and seedlings. Though there is no specific target yet, we are trying to use as many flowering plants as we can," he said.

India took over the presidency of the G20 on December 1.

The summit which will be held in September 2023 will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies starting December.

The Group of Twenty (G20) comprises 19 countries and the European Union. Its members represent around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.