India can catalyse fundamental mindset shift: PM Modi on G20 presidency

India's G20 presidency will work to promote the universal sense of one-ness, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Thursday as the country assumed presidency of the intergovernmental forum. Highlighting the significant results delivered by the previous 17 presidencies of the G20, PM Modi said India can catalyse a fundamental mindset shift to benefit humanity as a whole.

"Our mindsets are shaped by our circumstances. Through all of history, humanity lived in scarcity. We fought for limited resources, because our survival depended on denying them to others. Confrontation and competition - between ideas, ideologies and identities - became the norm," he said in a blog post.

Lamenting that the world remains trapped in the same zero-sum mindset even today, PM Modi said, "We see it when countries fight over territory or resources. We see it when supplies of essential goods are weaponised. We see it when vaccines are hoarded by a few, even as billions remain vulnerable."

"Some may argue that confrontation and greed are just human nature. I disagree. If humans were inherently selfish, what would explain the lasting appeal of so many spiritual traditions that advocate the fundamental one-ness of us all?" he added.

Prime Minister Modi stressed that India's G20 presidency theme – 'One Earth, One Family, One Future' – is not just a slogan as it takes into account "recent changes in human circumstances."

"Housing one-sixth of humanity, and with its immense diversity of languages, religions, customs and beliefs, India is a microcosm of the world," he wrote. "During our G20 Presidency, we shall present India's experiences, learnings and models as possible templates for others, particularly the developing world."

"Our G20 priorities will be shaped in consultation with not just our G20 partners, but also our fellow-travellers in the global South, whose voice often goes unheard."

"India's G20 agenda will be inclusive, ambitious, action-oriented, and decisive."