What was the G20 Budget? Original vs. Spent on G20

India successfully passed on the Presidency of G20 to Brazil during the G20 Summit 2023 on September 10. Now several questions are being raised about the budget of G20 and what was actually spent.

India was the president of the G20 for the years 2022–23. After the successful session, a final summit was held in New Delhi, where several leaders from around the world attended the concluding summit of the G20. The Final G20 Summit 2023 was held at the Bharat Mandapam International Exhibition-Convention Centre on September 9–10.

The Indian National Congress has attacked the central government for spending four times the actual budget of the summit. However, the central government has dismissed all the claims made by Congress.

What was the G20 budget?

A day after the G20 summit, several opposition leaders are claiming that the Bhartiya Janata Party has spent four times the actual allocated budget. As per the claims, the original budget for the G20 summit was Rs. 990 crore.

The budget of the G20 depends on the host country, and last year Indonesia was the host. As per records, they’ve spent Rs. 364 crore to host the G20 summit. The host of the G20 needs to make several arrangements during the G20 presidency, and when a country is hosting presidents and prime ministers of various countries, their comfort and security are the duty of the host.

Original Budget vs. Spent Budget on G20

Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale also raised questions over the expenditures made in organizing the G20 summit. Gokhale claimed India spent seven times what Germany spent organizing the summit in Hamburg in 2017. “For Modi’s PR for the 2024 elections, we have spent a shocking Rs 3,500 crore extra,” he said.

Lok Sabha Member and General Secretary K.C. Venugopal also denounced the government for going overboard with expenditures for the summit. In his Twitter (X) post, Venugopal said, “The government cannot ensure cheap fuel to compensate the farmers or release adequate funds for the rehabilitation of flood-devastated Himachal Pradesh, but it has overshot the budget for this image-building exercise by ten times.”

As per opposition claims, the actual budget for the G20 was Rs. 990 crore, and the BJP-led government has spent Rs 4,100 crore for the G20 summit, said Congress. Although the central government has dismissed all the claims made by the opposition, concrete proof of the expenses of the G20 has yet to be declared.

G20 Budget FAQs