Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday inaugurated the International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (IECC) complex along with the redeveloped India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) complex which is set to host the G20 Leaders’ Summit in September at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. The convention centre has been renamed as ‘Bharat Mandapam’.
The Prime Minister, at the opening ceremony, said that the “world is accepting that India is the mother of democracy”, and the world will witness rising stature of India when the newly built Bharat Mandapam will host the G20 summit.
He also slammed people with negative thinking “for trying to stall” development projects in the country.
Earlier today, PM Modi performed a lokarpan puja in the complex ahead of its inauguration. After the puja, PM Modi felicitated the ‘shramjeevis’ (those who were involved in the construction of the complex). A cultural event is also scheduled in the evening in the presence of hundreds of guests, dignitaries and other invitees.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the IECC will be among the leading exhibition and convention complexes in the world.
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As many as 4,000 guests, mobilised by several institutions, including government departments and industry bodies, are expected to attend the event. As per sources, a thorough verification has been carried out by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) before issuing invitations to the guests.
About the IECC complex
The facility, having a campus area of nearly 123 acres, has been built after an overhaul of the old and outdated structures in the area and was developed at a cost of Rs 2,700 crore. It has been developed as India’s largest meeting, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) destinations.
In terms of the covered space available for events, the IECC complex finds its place among the top exhibitions and convention complexes in the world, the PMO statement said, adding that it is established in line with PM Modi’s vision of having a world-class infrastructure for hosting meetings. It will be rivaling the Hannover Exhibition Centre in Germany, and the National Exhibition and Convention Center (NECC) in Shanghai.
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In addition to this, the complex has several state-of-the-art facilities such as the convention centre, exhibition halls and amphitheatres.
“It is a grand architectural marvel, designed to host large-scale international exhibitions, trade fairs, conventions, conferences and other prestigious events,” the statement added.
The Level 3 of the convention centre can seat 7,000 individuals, making it even larger than the approximately 5,500 people who can be seated at the iconic Sydney Opera House in Australia.