MUMBAI, 3 DECEMBER, 2022 (GPN): Ahead of a G20 Council meeting in Mumbai, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has asked the local civic body MCGM to launch a beautification drive in the city on a mission mode.

Shinde asked Mumbai civic authorities to depute 5,000 “Swatchhta Doots” (cleanliness ambassadors) and undertake beautification of the city.

India assumed the G20 (Group of 20) presidency on December 1 and 14 meetings related to the influential bloc will be held in Mumbai, Pune, Aurangabad and Nagpur in the next two months.

The G20 or Group of 20 is an intergovernmental forum of the world’s major developed and developing economies. It comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US and the European Union.

For the selection of the presidency: 20 representative of (19 countries and the European Union) are divided into 5 groups, each having no more than 4 countries.The presidency rotates between each group.Every year the G20 selects a country from another group to be president.India is in Group 2 which also has Russia, South Africa, and Turkey.

A meeting of the Development Working Group of the G20 Council will be held in Mumbai from December 13 to 16.

As per a release issued by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) on Wednesday, Shinde and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis reviewed the city’s beautification projects at a meeting held in Sahyadri guest house in south Mumbai. Shinde directed officials of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to transform Mumbai for a “visible” change, said the release.

“Our state and Mumbai have got this honour (of holding G20 Council meetings) and for that the city should be transformed and branded strongly. In order to beautify Mumbai and make visible changes, 5,000 sanitation workers should be appointed for cleanliness,” stated CM in the release.

“Also, lighting should be done on significant buildings, important roads, squares, skywalks and flyovers on a mission mode,” it said.

Fadnavis suggested civic officials to set up community washing centres in slums, the release said. The civic body is going to undertake a total of 187 beautification works, it added.

The CM said the G20 Council is going to hold multiple meetings in Maharashtra and the first one will take place in Mumbai.Ends