West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has expressed her dissatisfaction with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for excluding her from the recent water-sharing discussions with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during their meeting in New Delhi. In a strongly worded letter to Modi, dated June 24, 2024, she wrote: “I am writing this letter in context of the recent visit of Hon'ble Prime Minister of Bangladesh. It seems that water sharing issues relating to the Ganges and Teesta rivers may have been discussed during the meeting. Such unilateral deliberations and discussions without consultation and the opinion of the state government is neither acceptable nor desirable.” Dhaka, Delhi discussed joint river management: Hasan Mahmud Mamata emphasized the importance of West Bengal's relationship with Bangladesh, stating, “We do share a very close relationship with Bangladesh - geographically, culturally and economically, I love and respect people of Bangladesh and always wish for their well-being. The state of West Bengal has cooperated with Bangladesh on several issues in the past.” She highlighted several successful collaborations, including the exchange of India-Bangladesh enclaves (Chitmahal), the Indo-Bangladesh Railway Line, and Bus Services. However, she underlined the critical importance of water resources, saying, “Water is very precious and is the lifeline of the people. We cannot compromise on such a sensitive issue which has severe and adverse implication on the people. People of West Bengal will be the worst sufferers due to the impact of such agreements.” Peaceful management of border a shared priority: Dhaka, Delhi The West Bengal Chief Minister raised concerns about the renewal of the Indo-Bangladesh Farakka Treaty, set to expire in 2026. She noted, “It is a Treaty which delineates the principles of sharing of water between Bangladesh and India and as you are aware it has huge implications for the people of West Bengal for maintaining their livelihood and that the water which is diverted at the Farakka Barrage helps in maintaining the navigability of the Kolkata port.” She pointed out the changes in river morphology in eastern India and Bangladesh, which have negatively impacted water availability in West Bengal. “There has been eastward migration of the Ganges (and Padma in Bangladesh) over the last 200 years disrupting their link with several rivers in West Bengal. For example, Jalangi and Mathabhanga rivers got disconnected from Padma and the fresh water inflow into the Sundarban has reduced. In fact, the genesis of construction of Farakka Barrage Project is the disconnection of Bhagirathi from the Ganges.” Hasina, Modi endorse shared vision for future enhancing connectivity, commerce, collaboration for shared prosperity Mamata expressed frustration over the lack of response to her previous communications on these issues, stating, “On these issues, I have written several times to draw your attention.” Regarding the Teesta river, she wrote, “Further, it seems that sharing of Teesta water between India and Bangladesh has also been discussed in the meeting. The health of Teesta river has suffered from construction of series of hydropower projects in Sikkim, deforestation in upper catchment and impact of climate change.” She criticized the Indian government’s proposal for bilateral cooperation to restore the Teesta in Bangladesh, noting the lack of concrete steps taken by the Ministry of Jal Shakti to restore the river onthe Indian side. “I am surprised by the fact that no concrete steps have been taken by the Ministry of Jal Shakti to restore the river in its original form and health on the Indian side. Due to reasons stated above water flow in the Teesta has gone down over the years and it is estimated that, if any water is shared with Bangladesh, lakhs of people in North Bengal (West Bengal) will get severely impacted due to inadequate availability of irrigation water.” In her concluding remarks, Mamata reiterated her strong reservations, “Finally, it is to convey my strong reservation that no discussion on sharing of Teesta water and the Farakka Treaty should be taken up with Bangladesh without the involvement of the state government. The interest of people in West Bengal is paramount which should not be compromised at any cost.” Flood-hit people in Sylhet face food, drinking water crisis though water receding

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to leave for New Delhi on Saturday to attend her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony at his invitation. PM's speechwriter, M Nazrul Islam, today confirmed her joining in the swearing-in ceremony scheduled for Sunday (June 9). She will return home on June 10, he added. Modi is likely to take oath as the prime minister of India for the historic third term in a row on June 9 after his BJP-led NDA alliance won 293 seats in the elections for 543-member Lok Sabha, the lower house of Indian parliament. PM Hasina and Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremsinghe are among the foreign leaders who have been invited to witness Modi’s oath-taking ceremony. Earlier, Modi invited Hasina to attend the swearing-in ceremony of his government,  and she accepted the invitation. Modi has thanked PM Hasina for her warm wishes following his election victory. Prime Minister Hasina was among the first foreign leaders to congratulate Modi, reflecting the warmth and personal rapport between the two leaders. "India and Bangladesh share historic relations, which have seen unprecedented growth in the last decade," Modi said. In a message shared through X, Modi said he looks forward to working together to further strengthen the people-centric partnership between Bangladesh and India. Earlier, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina congratulated Narendra Modi on the resounding victory of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Lok Sabha election. "As the leader of the largest democracy in the world, you carry the hopes and aspirations of the people of India," she said. Modi received a congratulatory telephone call from Sheikh Hasina for the victory of NDA, according to the Press Information Bureau of India. The two leaders pledged to continue working together to further deepen the historic and close ties under the renewed mandate towards achieving Viksit Bharat 2047 and Smart Bangladesh 2041. They acknowledged the significant improvements achieved in the lives of the people of both countries in the last decade and looked forward to further enhancing the transformative relationship across all domains that include economic and development partnership, energy security, connectivity including digital linkages and people-to-people contacts among others. PM Narendra Modi called on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Wednesday and tendered his resignation along with the Union council of ministers.

Prominent Bangladeshi singer Rezwana Chowdhury Bannya received the prestigious Padma Shri Award from the Indian government on Monday (April 22, 2024). Indian President Droupadi Murmu presented the Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri Awards for the year 2024 at the Civil Investiture Ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. The Vice President of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Union Minister, and other dignitaries were present. Read more: Sadi Mohammad laid to eternal rest at Mohammadpur Padma Awards, one of the highest civilian awards in India, are conferred in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri.The awards are given in various disciplines and fields of activity, viz., art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, among others.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is set to embark on bilateral visits to New Delhi and Beijing within the next three months, marking her first such engagements after the January 7 national election. These visits are aimed at deepening Bangladesh's connections with India and China, Asia's two leading economic powers. Following the formation of the new government, Prime Minister Hasina attended the Munich Security Conference in Germany in February, highlighting her active engagement on the global stage. Diplomatic sources indicate that PM Hasina's visit to India is planned after the conclusion of the neighbouring country’s national election, which is the world's largest democratic exercise, spanning seven phases from April 19 to June 1, with the vote count set for June 4. Read more: Foreign Minister discusses visa issuance and air connectivity with Bahrain’s ambassador-designate Pre-election surveys suggest a strong showing for the coalition led by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is widely anticipated to secure re-election. "Prime Minister's (Sheikh Hasina) India visit will definitely take place. However, it will take place after the election in India," Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud said. He said it is not yet discussed at the official level when the visit will exactly take place. In January, Prime Minister Modi extended warm congratulations to PM Hasina on her electoral victory, expressing hopes for the continued strengthening of the historically close ties between India and Bangladesh. The last bilateral engagement between PM Modi and PM Hasina occurred during the G-20 Leaders Summit in September 2023, where Bangladesh was the guest country. PM Hasina pays tribute to Father of the Nation on Independence Day PM Modi is expected to extend invitations to South Asian and BIMSTEC country leaders for his swearing-in ceremony, fostering regional cooperation. Additionally, PM Hasina's forthcoming visit to China in July was underscored during a meeting with Chinese Ambassador Yao Wen, who reiterated China's commitment to boosting investment in Bangladesh and enhancing bilateral relations. Ambassador Yao emphasised the significance of the visit in promoting trade, investment, and cultural exchange, aligning with Bangladesh's aspirations for "Vision 2041" and the realisation of a "Smart Bangladesh." PM Hasina wants Russian Rosatom to build another nuclear power plant at Rooppur

Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Tuesday (February 06, 2024) said that the Rohingya repatriation issue will be discussed with India during his first bilateral visit to New Delhi apart from discussion on overall bilateral issues. He mentioned that Myanmar is a neighbouring country for both Bangladesh and India. Talking to reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the minister said Bangladesh has been seeking India's support regarding the Rohingya repatriation. "So, overall this issue will be discussed," he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina last September where the Rohingya issue was discussed. 123 more Myanmar security forces including army men make their way into Bangladesh: BGB With regard to the regional situation, Modi expressed appreciation of the burden shouldered by Bangladesh in hosting over a million persons displaced from the Rakhine State in Myanmar, and conveyed India's constructive and positive approach to support solutions towards safe and sustainable repatriation of the refugees. Since the Foreign Minister will have a meeting with India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, the current security situation in Myanmar is likely to be discussed in the context of regional issues, said a diplomatic source. The foreign minister is going to India tonight (Tuesday) and is scheduled to hold a meeting with his Indian counterpart Dr S Jaishanka on Wednesday. The foreign minister is likely to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will have a separate meeting with Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal during his stay in New Delhi. He will also pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi at the iconic Rajghat. Foreign Ministry summons Myanmar Ambassador He is likely to attend a seminar, too. Asked about BNP's comment that the Myanmar BGP members are entering Bangladesh and the conflicts are spilling into Bangladesh territory due to the government's “lenient foreign policy,” Hasan said BNP leaders were "speaking the language of the insane." "BNP thought that the foreign countries will not welcome the new government of Bangladesh after the polls, but now that all are welcoming and expressing their interest to work with us, BNP is speaking the language of the insane," he said. Though the Foreign Minister will go to New Delhi directly, he will return to Dhaka via Kolkata on Friday night (February 9), a senior official told UNB. In Kolkata, he will attend a "meet the press" event and a reception, to be hosted by the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission. Earlier, Spokesperson at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Seheli Sabrin, said issues of mutual interest including trade, connectivity and energy cooperation, people-to-people contacts and regional cooperation will be discussed between the two sides at the bilateral meeting to further strengthen Bangladesh-India relations. Asked whether the Teesta water-sharing issue will be discussed in the meeting, the foreign ministry spokesperson said they expect the issue would be discussed. Tension at the border: What Dhaka told the Myanmar Ambassador

Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud is scheduled to leave for New Delhi, India on February 7 – the first bilateral visit by the minister after his appointment – to further strengthen Bangladesh-India relations. “It’s likely to be a three-day visit,” he told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today (January 18, 2024), noting that the agenda of the visit is yet to be finalised. The Foreign Minister said he will be visiting the country at the invitation of Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar. Asked whether he will have a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the visit, Mahmud said, “It is too early to say.” Read more: FM to lead Bangladesh delegation at 19th NAM Summit in Uganda Jaishankar, earlier, invited his Bangladesh counterpart Dr Hasan Mahmud to visit New Delhi at a mutually convenient time. Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma extended the invitation on behalf of the Indian External Affairs Minister on Monday. The Foreign Minister accepted the invitation and told him that he would visit Delhi soon. Mahmud was scheduled to embark on a multilateral tour to Uganda last night. After two hours, he came to know that the flight will not depart due to fog and poor visibility. The Foreign Minister was scheduled to hold a meeting on the sidelines of NAM Summit today. The meeting with the Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka marked Hasan Mahmud’s first diplomatic engagement since assuming the office of foreign minister. He noted the successful holding of the 12th parliamentary elections in Bangladesh on January 7, which was free, fair and participatory, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He also noted that international elections observers and media who visited Dhaka to cover elections expressed their satisfaction over the election process. Read more: FM seeks EU's trade concessions until 2032 for Bangladesh’s graduation

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday (November 22, 2023) urged the G20 leaders to call with one voice for an instant ceasefire in Gaza and for an immediate, unhindered flow of humanitarian relief to the suffering victims. The prime minister made the call speaking at the G20 Leaders’ Summit virtually from her official residence Ganabhaban. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted the virtual G20 leaders’ summit to deliberate on the implementation of the Delhi Declaration prior to concluding India’s presidency this month. The G20 is a forum for international economic cooperation comprising 19 countries -Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US - and the European Union. Spain was invited as a permanent guest at the forum, while India included Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates as guest countries during its presidency. Hasina said that for over a month and a half, the world has been witnessing in Palestine a merciless, genocidal slaughter of thousands of men and women and tragically innocent children numbering over 10,000. Read more: G20 agreement reflects sharp differences over Ukraine and the rising clout of the Global South “All these monstrous acts have stunned the world, intensified global distress, and slowed worldwide economic progress,” she said. She also mentioned that the current war in Europe with sanctions and counter-sanctions has taken a worldwide human and economic toll and continues to do so. “In today’s globalized world, surely it would be easy to firmly say “NO” to all wars and conflicts to save human lives and humanity,” she said. In this connection, she mentioned that a good beginning could be fostering good neighbourly relations and spreading their reach far around the globe. “I am happy to draw your attention to Bangladesh and neighbour India’s excellent relations, which are recognised as a Role Model of Neighbourhood Diplomacy,” she said. She said that neighbours can certainly resolve issues through friendly “Dialogue,” as Bangladesh and India have proven with their maritime and land boundaries. The prime minister said that Bangladesh is committed to a peaceful and prosperous world. “It has become our duty to ensure the wellbeing of everyone in our global family. In that spirit, I seek your earnest support for the repatriation of more than a million Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals (Rohingyas) from Bangladesh to Myanmar,” she said. She hoped that the commitments that the nations have made at the G20 Summit will bear fruition and transform into concrete action. “I also believe the Summit’s theme of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’ will continue to inspire us to care for, protect, and make Planet Earth, our common home, a better place for our future generations,” she said. PM Hasina said that she was heartened that the leaders agreed in New Delhi to strengthen Multilateral Development Banks to help Low-and Middle-Income countries address their development needs, particularly those related to Climate Action, Technological Transformation, Digital Public Infrastructure, and women-led development, which are imperative for a better future. The meeting aims to provide an impetus to implement the Delhi Declaration unanimously agreed upon by all members at the 18th G20 leaders’ summit held in New Delhi in September. During the closing session of the New Delhi summit on September 10, Modi had announced India would be hosting a virtual summit. Leaders of the G20 nations, including the chair of the African Union, as well as nine guest countries, and heads of 11 international organisations have been invited to the meeting. On December 1, India assumed the mantle of the G20 presidency. India holds the G20 Presidency until November 30. The G20 troika during the Brazilian G20 presidency in 2024 will comprise India, Brazil and South Africa. The new troika will be formed when Brazil assumes the presidency next month, with India as the past presidency and South Africa holding the presidency after Brazil. The G20 members represent around 85 percent of the global GDP, over 75 percent of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population. Read more: India forges compromise among divided world powers at the G20 summit in a diplomatic win for Modi

The Indian government has asked Canada to withdraw over 40 of its diplomats from the country, the Financial Times has reported. New Delhi has set a deadline of October 10 for the repatriation, reads the report. Canada has 62 diplomats in India, and earlier, New Delhi had said the total number should be reduced by 41, the report said. Read: Despite dispute, Canada remains committed to its relationship with India: Trudeau India had asked Canada to curtail its diplomatic presence in the country as relations between the two countries plunged to the lowest point following Ottawa's allegations against New Delhi over the killing of a Khalistani separatist on Canadian soil. Read: Blinken meets Indian foreign minister as row between India and Canada simmers However, India has outright rejected the claim, calling it absurd. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar recently said there was a "climate of violence" and an "atmosphere of intimidation" against Indian diplomats in Canada. Read: Intelligence from 'Five Eyes' nations helped Canada link India to Sikh’s killing, US diplomat says

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday (September 09, 2023) joined the world leaders at G20 summit being held at Bharat Mandapam Convention Centre at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. On her arrival at the venue, she was welcomed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PM Hasina has been invited as a guest by host Prime Minister Modi along with leaders from Egypt, Mauritius, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Singapore, Spain and UAE. PM Hasina reaches New Delhi to attend G-20 summit The G20 bloc comprises 19 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 United States) and European Union. The G20 members represent around 85 percent of the global GDP, over 75 percent of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population. The G20 was founded in 1999 after the Asian financial crisis as a forum for the Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors to discuss global economic and financial issues. The theme of India’s G20 Presidency - “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” or “One Earth · One Family · One Future” - is drawn from the ancient Sanskrit text of the Maha Upanishad. Essentially, the theme affirms the value of all life – human, animal, plant, and microorganisms – and their interconnectedness on the planet Earth and in the wider universe. PM Hasina departs for New Delhi to attend G-20 summit The theme also spotlights LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment), with its associated, environmentally sustainable and responsible choices, both at the level of individual lifestyles as well as national development, leading to globally transformative actions resulting in a cleaner, greener and bluer future. G20 is the premier forum for international economic cooperation and it plays an important role in shaping and strengthening global architecture and governance on all major international economic issues. The 19 member countries are therefore divided up into five groups comprising a maximum of four countries each. Most of the groups are formed on a regional basis, that is countries from the same region are usually put in the same group. Only Group 1 (Australia, Canada, Saudi Arabia and the United States) and Group 2 (India, Russia, South Africa and Türkiye) do not follow this pattern. Group 3 includes Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico; Group 4 includes France, Germany, Italy, and United Kingdom; and Group 5 includes China, Indonesia, Japan, and Republic of Korea. The EU, the 20th member, is not a member of any of these regional groups. Dhaka, New Delhi likely to sign 3 MoUs during PM Hasina’s G-20 visit to India: Momen  Each year another country from a different group assumes the G20 Presidency. The countries in a group are each equally entitled to take on the Presidency when it is their group's turn, though. India, from Group 2, holds the current Presidency of the G20 from 1 December 2022 to 30 November 2023. The G20 Presidency is responsible for bringing together the G20 agenda in consultation with other members and in response to developments in the global economy. To ensure continuity, the Presidency is supported by a "troika" made up of the current, immediate past and next host countries. During India's Presidency, the members of the G20 troika are Indonesia, India and Brazil. In addition to the member countries, each G20 Presidency invites other guest countries and international organisations (IOs) to participate in the G20 meetings and Summit. Read more Hasina, Modi agree to resolve outstanding bilateral issues through talks India has invited India has invited ISA, CDRI and ADB in addition to the regular G20 International Organisations (UN, IMF, WB, WHO, WTO, ILO, FSB and OECD) and Chairs of Regional Organisations (AU, AUDA-NEPAD and ASEAN). In the summit, the G20 leaders would discuss and find solutions to several key global issues including digital transformation, climate financing, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), food security, the economic and social impacts of the Russia-Ukraine war and increasing the capacity of multilateral development banks, among others. World leaders attending the event in New Delhi are US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Argentina's President Alberto Fernandez, Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, among others. Sheikh Hasina has also schedule to have bilateral meetings with the Saudi Arabian Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammad Bin Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of Republic Korea Yoon Suk Yeol and Argentine President Alberto Angel Fernandez on the sidelines of the summit. Read more Hasina, Modi look forward to CEPA as next step up in ties

NEW DELHI, Sept 4 (AP/UNB) — New Delhi's crowded streets have been resurfaced. Streetlights are illuminating once dark sidewalks. City buildings and walls are painted with bright murals and graffiti. Planted flowers are everywhere. Many of the city’s poor say they were simply erased, much like the stray dogs and monkeys that have been removed from some neighborhoods, as India's capital got its makeover ahead of this week's summit of the Group of 20 nations. Read: Biden to attend next month's G-20 summit in New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government hopes the elaborate effort to make New Delhi sparkle — a “beautification project” with a price tag of $120 million — will help showcase the world’s most populous nation’s cultural prowess and strengthen its position on the global stage. But for many street vendors and those crammed into New Delhi's shantytowns, the makeover has meant displacement and loss of livelihood, raising questions about the government's policies on dealing with poverty. In a city of more than 20 million people, the 2011 census had the homeless at 47,000 but activists say that was a vast underestimate and that the real number is at least 150,000. Since January, hundreds of houses and roadside stalls have been demolished, displacing thousands of people. Dozens of shantytowns were raised to the ground, with many residents getting eviction notices only a short while before the demolitions got underway. Read: Bangladesh’s New Delhi mission pays homage to Bangabandhu Authorities say the demolitions were carried out against “illegal encroachers,” but right activists and those evicted question the policy and allege that it has pushed thousands more into homelessness. Similar demolitions have also been carried out in other Indian cities like Mumbai and Kolkata that have hosted various G20 events leading up to this weekend's summit. Activists say it was more than just a case of out of sight, out of mind. Abdul Shakeel, with the activist group Basti Suraksha Manch, or Save Colony Forum, says that “in the name of beautification, the urban poor’s lives are destroyed.” Read:Bangladesh-India Friendship Pipeline to vastly improve transport of diesel: New Delhi “The money used for G20 is taxpayers' money. Everyone pays the tax. Same money is being used to evict and displace them,” he said. “It doesn’t make any sense.” The two-day global summit will take place at the newly constructed Bharat Mandapam building, a sprawling exhibition center in the heart of New Delhi near the landmark India Gate monument — and scores of world leaders are expected to attend. The G20 includes the world’s 19 wealthiest countries plus the European Union. India currently holds its presidency, which rotates annually among the members. In July, a report by the Concerned Citizens Collective, a rights activist group, found that the preparations for the G20 summit resulted in the displacement of nearly 300,000 people, particularly from the neighborhoods that foreign leaders and diplomats will visit during various meetings. At least 25 shantytowns and multiple night shelters for the homeless were razed to the ground and turned into parks, the report said, adding that the government failed to provide alternative shelters or places for the newly homeless. Last month, Indian police intervened to stop a meeting of prominent activists, academics and politicians critical of Modi and his government’s role in hosting the G20 summit and questioning whose interests the summit would benefit. “I can see the homeless on the streets ... and now the homeless are not allowed to live on the streets either,” said Rekha Devi, a New Delhi resident who attended the Aug. 20 gathering. Devi, whose home was demolished in one of the drives, said authorities refused to consider documents she showed as proof that her family had lived in the same house for nearly 100 years. “Everyone is behaving as if they are blind," Devi said. "In the name of the G20 event, the farmers, workers and the poor are suffering.” Read: 53rd DG level border talks begin in New Delhi Home to 1.4 billion people, India’s struggle to end poverty remains daunting, even though a recent government report said that nearly 135 million — almost 10% of the country’s population — moved out of so-called multidimensional poverty between 2016 and 2021. The concept takes into consideration not just monetary poverty but also how lack of education, infrastructure and services affect a person’s quality of life. Indian authorities have been criticized in the past for clearing away homeless encampments and shantytowns ahead of major events. In 2020, the government hastily erected a half-kilometer (1,640-foot) brick wall in the state of Gujarat ahead of a visit by then-President Donald Trump, with critics saying it was built to block the view of a slum area inhabited by more than 2,000 people. Similar demolitions were also carried out during the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. Some street vendors say they are helpless, stuck between sacrificing their livelihoods for India’s pride and wanting to earn a living. Shankar Lal, who sells chickpea curry with fried flatbread, said authorities told him three months ago to move away. These days, the only time he gets to open his stall along a busy New Delhi road near the G20 summit venue is on Sundays, when police pay less attention to the street vendors. It's not enough to eke out a living. “These are government rules, and we’ll do what we are told," Lal said. "The government doesn’t know whether we are dying of hunger or not.”