PIB fact checks after Congress counters PM Modi's G20 in Chhattisgarh claim

The Press Information Bureau, a Union government body, on Friday described the Congress's allegation that Prime Minister Narendra Modi misled the public by stating that a G20 meeting was held in Chhattisgarh as “baseless claims”.

According to the PIB Fact Check, a G20-related programme was indeed conducted in the state.

“A two-day Youth-20 (Y20) mentoring program was successfully organized in the Indian Institute of Management, Raipur on February 25-26. Y20 is the official participation group of G20,” the PIB said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter).

The Congress had accused Modi of misinformation, alleging that he falsely claimed a G20 meeting in Chattisgarh during a rally in the state. The Chhattisgarh Congress's social media handle wrote, “The Prime Minister of the country came to Chhattisgarh and lied and went away,” along with a clip from Modi's address.

“PIB Fact Check, If you have courage then tell me when the G20 meeting was held in Chhattisgarh?” the post read further.

In response, the central ministry of information and broadcasting agency pointed out that the two-day Y20 consultation event took place at the Indian Institute of Management, Raipur, on February 25 where Union minister Anurag Singh Thakur was also present.

Various events under G20

The G20 hosts various events, with the annual summit being the most significant. There are two parallel tracks: the Finance Track, led by Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors, and the Sherpa Track, led by Sherpas after the Finance Track.

Along with these, there are several Engagement Groups comprising civil societies, parliamentarians, think tanks, women, youth, labour, businesses, and researchers of G20 countries also have their meetings. These groups include Business 20 (B20), Civil20 (C20), Labour20 (L20), Parliament20 (P20), Science20, Supreme Audit Institutions 20 (SAI20), Startup 20, Urban 20, Youth20 (Y20), Women20 (W20), and Think20 (T20).

What is Youth20?

Youth20 (Y20) provides a platform for young people to express their ideas on G20 priorities and submit recommendations to G20 Leaders.

According to the official figures, Y20 India conducted 883 outreach events in collaboration with universities, think tanks, and organizations from January 12 to August 16. Additionally, they organized 370 Y20 Gujarat Yuva Samvads in 33 districts of the state and 119 Y20 Chaupals in 52 districts of Uttar Pradesh.

Of one such outreach programme, a Y20 Consultation session titled "Youth Dialogue with Youth Minister" was held with Anurag Thakur in the IIM Raipur in the last week of February.

The Y20 Summit took place in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, on August 17.