As India takes over the presidency of the G20, everyone’s eyes will be glued to the events to be held in cold desert Ladakh, which will witness a cultural carnival. The two-day G20 meeting will be held in the UT from April 26 to April 28.?

The global leaders will be welcomed by artists and civil society members of Ladakh. The G20 delegates attending the cultural festival in Ladakh can expect to be welcomed by local artists and civil society members of the region.

The festivities will include street art showcasing the achievements of the Union Territory, a lunch at the Sindhu Ghat, a cultural festival featuring traditional dances, a food festival highlighting local cuisine, an art exhibition by local artists, and showcasing of products by local start-ups.

To ensure the delegates enjoy their experience to the fullest, the Ladakh administration is improving the road infrastructure and beautifying the footpaths, incorporating artwork on the walls, and installing banners, flags, and posters. In addition, village haats have been set up to market local products, and educational initiatives have been organized for people's participation in the G20 event.

The local Ladakhi culture and traditions are integral to the preparation for holding the G20 meeting, senior officials say. They say the G-20 delegates will be greeted with folk songs and traditional dances upon their arrival at the Kushok Bakula Rinpoche airport at Leh which is India’s highest civil airport.

For marketing the local products, the Industries and Commerce Department is going to set up village haat at various locations. Special emphasis will be placed on exhibiting women-led developmental initiatives during the event at various venues. The School Education department will hold essay competitions, lectures, etc, as part of people’s participation in the G20 event.

The G20 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.

A big budget push for Ladakh ?

Since Ladakh became Union Territory it has seen huge infrastructure development. In her budget this year, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the inter-state transmission system for evacuation and grid integration of 13 GW of renewable energy from Ladakh. She said the Inter-state transmission system for evacuation and grid integration of 13 GW renewable energy from Ladakh will be constructed with an investment of ?Rs 20,700 crore including central support of Rs 8,300 crore.

Besides, to improve civilian connectivity, the Centre government is aiming to build 500 km of roads under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY) in the next few years. This is in addition to the 255 km strategic roads to be upgraded and built by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in Ladakh.

Also, the 230-kilometre-long Kargil-Zanskar national highway, the shortest route to Kargil via Manali, will become an all-weather road as the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corp Ltd has begun the work. ?At least 10 bridges and eight tunnels are coming up in Ladakh for improving connectivity. The government is also constructing a strategically important 14-km tunnel through the rocky Zojila mountain pass to reduce travel time over it from 3.5 hours to 15 minutes.

The construction of the 26.6-km Hanuthang-Handanbroke-Zungpal-Turtuk road has picked up and it will reduce travel time to 3.5 hours from the existing 9 hours to Turtuk from Leh without crossing the treacherous Khardungla pass.

These roads will connect people to tourist destinations like Turtuk, Pangong Tso, Shyok, the Aryan village of Dah and Hundar in Nubra valley known for its white sand dunes and camel safari.