PM Modi Inaugurates Pragati Maidan's Redeveloped IECC Complex, Calls It 'A Wonderful Sight'

The International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (IECC) complex in Delhi will host the much-awaited G20 summit in September under India's presidency.

PM Narendra Modi Inaugurates Pragati Maidan's Redeveloped IECC Complex

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday inaugurated the redeveloped International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (IECC) complex and unveiled its new name -- Bharat Mandapam. PM Modi unveiled the name of the new complex through a drone in the presence of Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and other ministers. During the inauguration, the prime minister called the redeveloped complex 'a wonderful sight' and said that it will serve as a 'gateway' to global opportunities.

Prime Minister Modi also laid bare his blueprint for a third term of his government and said that India will become the third largest economy in the world with a faster growth rate than now. His government will complete 10 years in office next May and he is seeking a third term on the development plank.

"We have to achieve the target of making India a developed nation in the next 25 years," he said after unveiling a world-class convention centre in the heart of the national capital. 

India can definitely eradicate poverty, he said citing a NITI Aayog report that talked of 13.5 crore poor being lifted out of poverty.

The inaugural ceremony was attended by around 3,000 guests including Cabinet ministers, captains of industry, film personalities and others.

Inaugurating the International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre in Delhi. The Complex will serve as a gateway to global opportunities. https://t.co/O3TO1yRTvr — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 26, 2023

Reeling out statistics of development from the number of airports to railway line electrification to expansion of city gas during his nine-year tenure, the prime minister said India was the 10th largest economy when the BJP government took office in 2014. The country is now ranked fifth in the world behind the US, China, Germany and Japan.

"We will make India a developed nation working on the principle of nation first, citizen first," he said while inaugurating the IECC complex.

PM Modi said that when his government took office in 2014, the Indian economy was at the tenth position and now it is at the fifth position in the world. He said that India will be one of the top three economies in the world in his third term. The next general elections are due in May 2024.

He said that Bharat Mandapam, which will host the much-awaited G20 summit in September under India's presidency, will promote conference tourism. "World will witness rising stature of India when newly built Bharat Mandapam will host G20 summit," Prime Minister Modi said.

Earlier in the day, he performed a 'pooja' at the redeveloped complex and interacted with the workers who were involved in its construction and felicitated them.

Honouring the Shramiks who have toiled to build the impressive International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre in Delhi. pic.twitter.com/C7zmdG4csf — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 26, 2023

The revamped IECC complex was developed as a national project at a cost of about Rs 2,700 crore and has a campus area of approximately 123 acres. It is set to host the G20 summit, which will be attended by heads of states of 20 nations including the US, the UK and China.

The IECC complex is India's largest MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) destination.

In terms of the covered space available for events, the complex finds its place among the top exhibition and convention complexes in the world.

Delhi gets a modern and futuristic International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre, which will boost conference tourism in India, thus bringing people from all over the world. The economic and tourism related benefits of the centre will also be multifold. pic.twitter.com/57cdCnu63T — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 26, 2023

It comprises multiple modern facilities, including convention centres, exhibition halls and amphitheatres. At level 3 of the complex, a 7,000 seating capacity convention centre has been developed.

The exhibition halls provide a platform for exhibitors and companies to engage with their target audience, fostering business growth and networking opportunities. The IECC boasts a magnificent amphitheatre with a seating capacity of 3,000 individuals.