WEBINAR HANDOUT

Mains based Current Affairs

 Mains Based Current Affairs
(March 2020)
S. No. Topics Page No.
01. US deal with Taliban to end 18 year war 2
02. Exclusive body for inter linking of rivers 4
03. SC frees trade in crypto currencies 6
04. Vivad se Vishwas Bill cleared by Rajya 8
Sabha
05. Getting Vaccine ready for COVID 19 9
06. Centre Okays 48000 crore plan for 12
electronic manufacturing
07. Perils of an all out lockdown 14
08. Picking up Quantum Tech Baton 15
09. Virtual Summit for G20 18

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1. US deal with Taliban to end 18 year war

Context
The long-drawn negotiations between the U.S. and the Taliban and the signing of the peace
deal.

Details
● The ​peace deal was signed ​in the Qatari capital Doha ​by U.S. Special Envoy Zalmay
Khalilzad and Taliban political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.
● The key features of the agreement:
○ The deal lays the groundwork for intra-Afghan talks, negotiations between the Afghan
government and the Taliban.
○ The deal could pave the way for a full withdrawal of foreign soldiers from
Afghanistan over the next 14 months and represents a step towards ending the
18-year-war in the nation. In exchange, the Taliban has to guarantee that it will not
allow militant groups like the al-Qaeda to operate within Afghanistan.
■ The U.S. under the deal is ​committed to reducing the number of its troops to
8,600 from the current 13,000 within 135 days of signing the deal.
■ The U.S. is also said ​to be working with allies to proportionally reduce the
number of coalition forces in Afghanistan if the Taliban adheres to its peace
commitments. However, under the deal, Western powers could continue to
maintain military bases.
○ Under the prisoner swap agreement, the ​Taliban has agreed to release 1000 Afghan
prisoners in exchange for the release of around 5000 Taliban fighters from the
Afghan government.
● The U.S. and the elected government of Afghanistan also announced a joint declaration in
parallel to the accord.

India’s Stand
● India has ​been always supportive of the inclusive peace process, specifically
Afghan-owned, Afghan-led and Afghan-controlled.
● The participation of the Afghan government’s delegation during the Doha agreement as
well as the upcoming intra-Afghan peace negotiations would be following the path
desired by India.
● The deal has ​reiterated India’s commitment to Afghanistan’s pursuit of “sustainable
peace and reconciliation”​.
● As a contiguous neighbour, India will ​continue to extend all support to the
Governmen​t and ​people of Afghanistan in realising their aspirations ​for a peaceful,
democratic and prosperous future where the interest of all sections of Afghan society are
protected.
Conclusion
● The signing of the agreement has spurred hopes that it could lead to an end to the almost
two decades of conflict and bring long-lasting peace in Afghanistan. America has been
cautious in its approach, by stating that the accord though a good step is just the
beginning and the road ahead will not be easy.
● There are concerns that the talks, scheduled to take place between the Afghan sides,
would be much more complicated. Achieving lasting peace in Afghanistan will require
patience and compromise among all parties.
2. Exclusive body for inter linking of rivers

Context:
The Central government is working on the establishment of an exclusive body to implement
projects for linking rivers.

Details
● The exclusive body for implementation of projects for linking rivers would be called the
National Interlinking of Rivers Authority (NIRA)​.
● The​ proposed body is expected ​to take up both inter-State and intra-State projects.
● It​ will also ​make arrangements for generating funds, internally and externally.
● Once approved, the projects will be pursued as national projects, wherein the Centre will
absorb 90% of the cost and the States concerned the rest.

Inter-Linking of Rivers (IRL) Projects

● As of now, six ILR projects — the ​Ken-Betwa​, Damanganga-Pinjal, Par-Tapi-Narmada,
Manas-Sankosh-Teesta-Ganga, Mahanadi-Godavari and Godavari-Cauvery (Grand
Anicut) — have been under examination of the authorities.
● With regard to the peninsular rivers, the Centre has chosen to focus on the
Godavari-Cauvery link than the earlier proposal to link the
Mahanadi-Godavari-Krishna-Pennar-Cauvery Rivers. The latter has eluded consensus,
given reservations from Odisha.
Interlinking of Rivers (ILR) Programme:
● The mission of this programme is ​to ensure greater equity in the distribution of water
by enhancing the availability of water in drought prone and rain-fed areas.
● The project ​comprises 14 rivers in the peninsular region and 16 rivers of Himalayan
origin.

Issues and Concerns related to Interlinking of water

Interlinking of rivers is a very expensive proposal. It will adversely affect land, forests,
biodiversity, rivers and the livelihood of millions of people.
Interlinking of rivers will lead to destruction of forests, wetlands and local water bodies,
which are major groundwater recharge mechanisms. It causes massive displacement of
people. Huge burden on the government to deal with the issue of rehabilitation of displaced
people.

Due to interlinking of rivers, there will be a decrease in the amount of fresh water entering
the seas and this will cause a serious threat to marine life.
3. SC frees trade in crypto currencies

Context
The Supreme Court has set aside an April 6, 2018, circular of the Reserve Bank of India
(​RBI​) that prohibited banks and entities regulated by it from providing services in relation
to virtual currencies (VCs).

Virtual Currencies
● VCs are digital currencies in which ​encryption techniques are used to regulate the
generation of the currency units and verify the transfer of funds, operating
independently of a central bank.
● Virtual currency is the larger umbrella term for all forms of non-fiat currency being
traded online.
● Virtual currencies are ​mostly created, distributed and accepted in local virtual
networks.
● Cryptocurrencies​, on the other hand, ​have an extra layer of security, in the form of
encryption algorithms.
● Cryptographic methods are used to make the currency as well as the network on which
they are being traded, secure.
● Most cryptocurrencies now ​operate on the blockchain or distributed ledger
technology, which allows everyone on the network to keep track of the transactions
occurring globally.

Why had RBI banned cryptocurrencies in 2018?

● Cryptocurrencies are a poor unit of account, as demonstrated by their ​frequent and high
fluctuation in value.
● They pose several risks, including ​anti-money laundering and terrorism financing
concerns (AML/CFT) for the state and liquidity, credit, and operational risks for users.
● On the perspective of consumers, issues linked to cryptocurrencies are ​heightened by the
striking paucity of information on their design, use and operation and indications of
market manipulation.
● It is possible that the ​business models of commercial banks may be seriously
disrupted.

Highlights of the Judgement

● The court in its recent order has held that the ​ban did not pass the “proportionality”
test.
○ The test of proportionality of any action by the government, the court held, ​must pass
the test of Article 19(1)(g), which states that all citizens of the country will have the
right to practise any profession, or carry on any occupation or trade and business.
● In the judgement, it was observed that RBI had, till date, not come out with a stand that
any of the entities regulated by it namely, nationalised banks/scheduled commercial
banks/cooperative banks/NBFCs, had suffered any loss or adverse effect directly or
indirectly, on account of VC exchanges.
● Besides​, the court found that the ​RBI did not consider the availability of alternatives
before issuing the circular.
● The court also referred to the ​Centre’s failure to introduce an official digital rupee
despite two draft Bills and several committees.
● Also​, ​the court highlighted that organisations across the globe have called for caution
while dealing with virtual currencies, while also warning that a blanket ban of any sort
could push the entire system underground, which in turn would mean no regulation.

Conclusion
● Cryptocurrencies have now been adopted by international trading firms for use in lending,
raising funds for other cryptoprojects besides facilitating easier cross-border payments.
● It is for these utilities that the Indian government should err on the side of jurisdictions
such as the European Union which have not outrightly banned the instrument and have
sought to regulate its functioning.
● The​ 2019 Bill even proposed the creation of a “digital rupee” as official currency.
● It is now imperative on authorities to find the right “regulatory balance” on
cryptocurrencies, a task that is easier thought than done, considering their ever-evolving
nature due to technological innovation.
● The SC ruling gives relief to cryptocurrency exchanges, but they still need to be
regulated.
4. Vivad se Vishwas Bill cleared by Rajya Sabha

Context:
● Rajya​ Sabha has approved ​the Direct Tax Vivad Se Vishwas Bill, 2020.

Details:
● The bill will give taxpayers a chance to ​settle tax disputes by paying their dues without
any interest or penalty till March 31, 2020. The Vivad Se Vishwas scheme ​waives off
interest and penalty on pending tax if paid by March 31. For payments made after
March 31 and till June 30, a 10% penalty would be charged.
● The scheme is not intended to give amnesty and those already being prosecuted under the
Income Tax Act would be excluded from it. The 75% tax on undisclosed cash deposited
at the time of demonetization would still apply.
● A cap of Rs.5 crores in dues has been included in the scheme to prevent large-scale
evasion or fraud-related cases trying to take advantage of the scheme.

‘Direct Tax Vivad se Vishwas Bill, 2020’

Key provisions of the Bill

Mechanism:
● The Bill provides a mechanism for resolution of pending tax disputes related to direct
taxes (Income Tax and Corporate Tax) in a simple and speedy manner.
● The Bill in current form allows taxpayers to settle cases pending before the
Commissioner (Appeals), Income Tax Appellate Tribunals (ITATs), Debt Recovery
Tribunals (DRTs), High Courts and the Supreme Court.
● Under the proposed Vivad Se Vishwas scheme, a taxpayer would be required to pay only
the amount of the disputed taxes and will get complete waiver of interest and penalty
provided he pays by March 31, 2020.
● But, if the tax arrears relate to disputed interest or penalty only, then 25% of disputed
penalty or interest will have to be paid.
● Those who avail this scheme after March 31, 2020 will have to pay some additional
amount.
● However, the scheme will remain open only till June 30, 2020. Those who avail this
scheme after March 31, 2020 will have to pay some additional amount.
● The scheme also applies to all case appeals that are pending at any level.
● The recent amendment also includes certain search and seizure cases where the recovery
is up to ₹5 crore.

Immunity to Appellant
● Once a dispute is resolved, the designated authority cannot levy interest or penalty in
relation to that dispute​.
● Further, no appellate forum can make a decision in relation to the matter of dispute once
it is resolved.

Revival of Disputes
● However​, if an appellant provides false information or violates the Income Tax Act, 1961,
then the case of dispute can be revived.
5. Getting Vaccine ready for COVID 19

Context
With the World Health Organization finally declaring COVID-19 a pandemic, all eyes have
turned to the prospect of a vaccine, because only a vaccine can prevent people from getting
sick.
About 35 companies and academic institutions are racing to create such a vaccine, at least
four of which already have candidates they have been testing in animals.

What are vaccines?

Vaccines are one of the most effective tools to prevent diseases.
● A vaccine is a substance that ​resembles the disease-causing agent (also called pathogen)
but does not cause the disease.
● It stimulates the immune system to recognize and kill the pathogen and creates a
memory for the future.
○ This is what makes vaccines such a powerful disease prevention tool. Unlike most
medicines, which treat or cure diseases, vaccines prevent them.
● Vaccines are available to ​protect us against many life-threatening diseases such as
polio, influenza, meningitis, typhoid, tetanus, diphtheria, and certain types of cancers.
● Vaccines have also been responsible for eradication (or near eradication) of deadly
diseases such as smallpox and polio.

How are Vaccines Made?

There are multiple ways to make vaccines.
Live​, Attenuated Vaccines: These vaccines contain a ​version of the living virus or
bacteria​ that has been ​weakened​.
● These wild viruses or bacteria are weakened by repeated culturing in cells in which they
do not reproduce very well. As they evolve to adapt to the new environment, they become
weaker with respect to their natural host, human beings.
● Examples include measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMR) and varicella
(chickenpox) vaccine.
Inactivated Vaccine (Killed Vaccine): It is a vaccine consisting of virus particles, bacteria,
or other pathogens that have been grown in culture. They have been killed through physical
or chemical processes. These killed organisms cannot cause disease.
● Pathogens for inactivated vaccines are grown under controlled conditions and are killed
as a means to reduce infectivity (virulence) and thus prevent infection.
● Inactivated vaccines are not active and cannot replicate, so there is always a need for
multiple doses. In general, the immune response does not occur after the first dose, but
usually after the second or third dose.
● Examples include the polio vaccine, influenza vaccine.

Is​ a virus needed to develop a vaccine against it?

With modern molecular tools and technologies, isolating a virus is not required to make a
vaccine against it.
● The ​genetic sequence can be obtained directly from infected patients and this can be
converted into proteins using various platform technologies.
● This makes it possible to have vaccines ready for hundreds of pathogens that have not yet
infected humans but have the potential to do so in the future.

Stages of Vaccine development

● It can take years to develop vaccines. It is a sequential process — it is first developed in
laboratories to show proof-of-concept for the theoretical designs, then a manufacturing
process is designed to develop a stable and highly potent product to be tested on animals
and humans (Clinical trials), then finally it is ready to be released in the market.

What vaccines are being developed against COVID-19?

According to the World Health Organization, over 40 different candidate vaccines for
COVID-19 are in development.
● These include an ​Inactivated Vaccine being developed in China (Sinovac) using purified
COVID-19 virus killed with formaldehyde (a chemical).
● A ​Live Attenuated Vaccine being developed by Codagenix, a U.S.-based company in
partnership with the Serum Institute of India (Pune), uses a genetically engineered
COVID-19 virus that replicates very poorly.

One vaccine against COVID-19 is already in trials. What is it about?

● An experimental COVID-19 vaccine called mRNA-1273 was developed by Moderna, a
biotechnology company

​What is the mRNA vaccine?

● The genetic blueprint (or code) in living organisms is stored in a double-stranded
molecule called DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), which makes proteins that are responsible
for nearly every function in the human body.
● The conversion of DNA code into proteins requires a ​single-stranded molecule called
the mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid).
● In an analogy with computers, one may think of the DNA as the hardware, the mRNA as
the software and proteins as the applications.
The ​mRNA-1273 is a piece of RNA that carries the code to make the COVID-19 virus Spike
protein when introduced into cells.
● This protein is present on the surface of the virus and is critical for its entry into cells.
● Immunity (antibodies) to the Spike protein can block virus entry and its multiplication,
and thus ameliorate the disease.
● Although it is simple to engineer an mRNA, it can degrade easily. Therefore, it has to be
protected with a coating that will ensure its transportation to the targeted cells, when
injected into the body.

How much does it cost to develop it? Who funds it?

It takes millions of dollars to develop and test a vaccine. Either for-profit companies or
philanthropic foundations and countries cover the costs.
● The mRNA-1273 vaccine is supported by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness
Innovations (CEPI), a not-for-profit grouping of foundations and countries.
● India is a member of CEPI. Besides mRNA-1273, CEPI has funded the development of at
least five other COVID-19 vaccines, with an overall commitment of $23.7 million.
6. Centre Okays 48000 crore plan for electronic manufacturing

Context:
In a bid to ​boost large-scale electronics manufacturing in India​, the Union Cabinet
approved three schemes, with a total outlay of around 48,000 crores.

Background:
The National Policy on Electronics 2019 envisions positioning ​India as a global hub for
Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) by encouraging and driving
capabilities in the country for developing core components and creating an enabling
environment for the industry to compete globally.

Details of the Scheme

Scheme for Promotion of Manufacturing of Electronics Components and

Semiconductors
● The scheme offers a ​financial incentive of 25% of capital expenditure for the
manufacturing of goods that constitute the supply chain of an electronic product listed
under the Scheme.
● The​ scheme is important given the objectives it strives to achieve:
○ The scheme will ​help offset the disability for domestic manufacturing of certain
electronic components and semiconductors and ​strengthen the electronic
manufacturing ecosystem in the country.
○ It will ​ensure the development of electronic components manufacturing
ecosystem in the country.
○ It will ​help reduce dependence on import of components by large scale domestic
manufacturing ​that will also enhance the digital security of the nation.
○ Domestic value addition for mobile phones is expected ​to rise to 35-40% by 2025
from the current 20—25% ​due to the impetus provided by the scheme.
Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Large Scale Electronics Manufacturing
● The production-linked incentive scheme will offer ​an incentive of 4-6% on incremental
sales of goods manufactured ​in India and covered under target segments, to eligible
companies, for a period of five years subsequent.
● The​ production linked ​incentive will help boost domestic manufacturing.
● It will also help attract large investments in mobile phone manufacturing and specified
electronic components including Assembly, Testing, Marking and Packaging (ATMP)
units.

Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMC) 2.0

● This scheme aims at ​creating world-class quality infrastructure ​with a minimum area
of 200 acres along with industry-specific facilities such as common facility centres,
ready-built factory sheds/ plug-and-play facilities through ​Electronics Manufacturing
Clusters (EMCs)​.
● The Modified Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMC 2.0) Scheme would support the
setting up of both ​Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMCs) and Common Facility
Centres (CFCs).
● The EMCs would aid in the growth of the ESDM sector, help to develop the
entrepreneurial ecosystem, drive innovation and ​catalyse the economic growth of the
region by attracting investments in the sector, increasing employment opportunities
and tax revenues.

Significance of the Scheme

● The three schemes together will enable large-scale electronics manufacturing, a domestic
supply chain ecosystem of components and a state-of-the-art infrastructure and common
facilities for large anchor units and their supply chain partners.
● The schemes are expected to ​attract new investments worth at least 50,000 crores into
the sector.
● The schemes will ​help generate over 20 lakh jobs​, with around five lakh direct and 15
lakh indirect jobs.
● A vibrant electronic component manufacturing ecosystem is vital for the o​verall
long-term and sustainable growth of electronics manufacturing in India ​and essential
to achieve ​net positive Balance of Payments (BoP).
7. Perils of an all out lockdown

Context
As the novel coronavirus spreads, a double crisis looms over India: a health crisis and an
economic crisis.
Unlike the health crisis, it is not class-neutral, but hurts poor people the most.

Time to Tap Social Schemes

● The first step is ​to make good use of existing social-security schemes to support poor
people — pensions, the Public Distribution System (PDS), midday meals, and the
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), among
others.
● Initial measures could ​include advance payment of pensions, enhanced PDS rations,
immediate payment of MGNREGA wage arrears, and expanded distribution of
take-home rations at schools and anganwadis.
● Some States have already taken useful steps of this sort, but the scale of relief measures
needs radical expansion.

Interruptions
There is a danger of people’s hardships being aggravated by a tendency to shut down
essential services. Public transport, administrative offices, court hearings, MGNREGA
projects and even immunisation drives have already been suspended to varying degrees in
many States. Some of these interruptions are certainly justified, but others are likely to be
counter-productive.
Even if discontinuing public services helps to contain the health crisis, the economic
consequences need to be considered. To assess the case for various precautionary measures,
we must bear in mind the dual motive for taking precautions.

Time to display creativity

An ​explicit list of essential services and official guidelines on coronavirus readiness at
the workplace needs to be drafted & advertised by the governments. For instance,
anganwadis could play a vital role of public-health outreach at this time, even if children have
to be kept away.
Many public spaces could be used, with due safeguards, to disseminate information or to
impart good habits such as distancing and washing hands. ​Increase resources and labs for
testing along with ​enhanced awareness about the disease so that people don’t go for testing
without solid grounds.

Conclusion
The urgent need for effective social security measures makes it all the more important to
avoid a loss of nerve. The way things are going today, it will soon be very difficult for some
State governments to run the Public Distribution System or take good care of drinking water,
which would push even more people to the wall, worsening not only the economic crisis but
possibly the health crisis as well. This is not the time to let India’s frail safety net unravel. If
the poor must stay at home, they need income support and essential services.
8. Picking up Quantum Tech Baton

Context
Union Budget 2020-21 proposed to spend ₹8,000 crore ($ 1.2 billion) on the newly launched
National Mission on Quantum Technologies and Applications (NMQTA).
The mission seeks to develop quantum computing linked technologies amidst the second
quantum revolution and make India the world’s third biggest nation in the sector after the US
and China.

About National Mission on Quantum Technologies and Applications (NM-QTA)

● The Mission will be able ​to address the ever increasing technological requirements of
the society, and take into account the international technology trends and road maps of
leading countries for the development of next generation technologies.
● The areas of focus for the NM-QTA Mission will be in fundamental science, translation,
technology development and towards addressing issues concerning national priorities.
● The mission ​can help prepare next generation skilled manpower, boost translational
research ​and also encourage entrepreneurship and start-up ecosystem development.

About Quantum mechanics

● Quantum mechanics is a branch of science that ​deals with atomic and molecular
properties and behaviour on a microscopic scale.
● It ​determines the properties of physical systems such as atoms, molecules, condensed
phase materials, light, etc.
● Itt has ​provided the foundations of our understanding of the physical world,
including the interaction of light and matter, and led to ubiquitous inventions such as
lasers and semiconductor transistors.
What is Quantum Technology?
● It is based on the principles of quantum theory, which explains the nature of energy
and matter on the atomic and subatomic level.
● It ​concerns the control and manipulation of quantum systems, with the goal of
achieving information processing beyond the limits of the classical world.
● Quantum technology ​exploits some of the properties of quantum mechanics – such as
quantum entanglement, superposition and tunnelling – in developing practical
applications like computing and cryptography.
● Quantum principles will be ​used for engineering solutions to extremely complex
problems in computing, communications, sensing, chemistry, cryptography, imaging and
mechanics.

Significance
● With a solid research base and workforce founded on significant and reliable government
support, it can lead to the ​creation of innovative applications by industries​, thereby
stimulating ​economic growth and job creation​, which will feed back into a growing
quantum-based economy.
● The government’s financial and organisational support will also ensure that ​both public
and private sectors will benefit​.
● It will ​establish standards to be applied to all research and help stimulate a pipeline to
support research and applications well into the future.

Applications of Quantum Technology

● It ​can help in solving some of the fundamental questions in physics related to
gravity, black hole ​etc.
● The range of quantum technologies is expected to be one of the major technology
disruptions that will ​change the entire paradigm of computation, communication and
encryption​.
● Their applications include those in aero-space engineering, numerical weather prediction,
simulations, securing the communications & financial transactions, cyber security,
advanced manufacturing, health, agriculture, education and other important sectors with
focus on creation of high skilled jobs, human resources development, start-ups &
entrepreneurship leading to technology lead economic growth.

Challenges
● On the experimental front​, the challenge lies in harnessing the weird and wonderful
properties of quantum superposition and entanglement in a highly controlled manner by
building a system composed of carefully designed building blocks called quantum bits or
qubits.
● On the theoretical front lies the challenge of creating the algorithms and applications for
quantum computers.
● India​, has been plagued by a ​lack of sufficient resources, high quality manpower,
timeliness and flexibility​.

India's Effort
● Globally​, research in this area is about two decades old, but India’s serious
experimental work has been under way for only about five years.
● In 2018, the government initiated serious discussions in quantum technologies and kick
started research projects across 51 organisations under ​QUEST – Quantum Enabled
Science and Technology. However, no significant progress is made in this field until
NMQTA.
9. Virtual Summit for G20

Context
An Extraordinary Virtual G20 Leaders’ Summit was convened on 26 March 2020 ​to discuss
the challenges posed by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and to forge a global
coordinated response.
The video-conference of leaders of the world’s top twenty economies ​was hosted by Saudi
Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

Key Points of the summit

● The G20 countries committed ​to inject more than $5 trillion into the global economy,
and contribute to the World Health Organisation (WHO) led COVID-19 solidarity
response fund.
● A ​joint statement has been issued which calls for a transparent, robust, coordinated,
large-scale and science-based global response in the spirit of solidarity to come over the
interconnectedness and vulnerabilities of the countries highlighted by the pandemic.
● The leaders agreed ​to have more interactions between G-20 Foreign Ministers, health
officials and the respective Sherpas before the Riyadh Summit of the G-20 nations in
November 2020.
● Many countries have been ​critical of WHO’s failure to alert the world quickly enough
of the potential threat from the pandemic​, even after it had been informed of its spread
in Wuhan by China.
● There have been differences in the approach by G-20 countries ​towards lockdowns in
order to control the pandemic spread through social distancing.

G20 countries
The G20 countries are a ​group of 20 countries established in September 1999 by the
finance ministers of the G7 countries ​as an international forum which would help preserve
international financial stability.
​The ​G20 members are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India,
Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, ​Republic o​f Korea​,​ Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa,
​Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union (EU)​.

​How does the G20 Work?

● ​The​ presidency of the G20 rotates between member countries every year.
● The presidency plays a leading role in setting the agenda and organizing the Leaders’
Summit, which is attended by the G20 Heads of State or Government.
● At the Summit, the leaders issue a declaration, or communiqué, based on policy
discussions at meetings held throughout the year.​​
● ​At the government level, the G20 work is organized around the Finance and Sherpa
Tracks, while civil society assembles through Engagement Groups.​​