The 215 G20 meetings are scheduled in such a way that almost all state capitals and union territories could host at least one major event during India’s G20 presidency, sources said, adding that Srinagar and Leh are on the list, alongside all northeastern states.

Taking the weather into account, the months of April to June have been shortlisted for Srinagar and Leh when the region is at its best scenically, the sources said. While Leh has been shortlisted for the founding meeting of Youth 20 in April, Srinagar is likely to host the tourism working group meeting in the last week of May, they added.

(A PTI report quoted Kashmir Divisional Commissioner Pandurang Kundbarao Pole as saying that the government is making arrangements for the meeting in Srinagar. “Srinagar will likely host one of the G20 events that we are preparing for in advance,” said He told the agency Pole that the administration is beautifying the city for the May event as it will make a major contribution to boosting tourism in Kashmir while easing concerns about the situation in the valley.)

Preparations for security are underway and towns are also being spruced up to accommodate delegates. Hotel employees, tour operators and emergency services would also be made aware of this, it said The Indian Express.

Tourism Ministry sources told the Express last week that of the four tourism working group meetings, the first will be held at the Rann of Kutch next month, while the second is scheduled for April 3-5 in Siliguri/Darjeeling. The third meeting is scheduled for May 22-24, the location has yet to be confirmed, it said.

“The idea is to cover and showcase the geographical breadth of the country – from Gujarat in the west to Siliguri in the east and to the northernmost regions,” sources said. Some 40 diplomats and officials from the United Nations and other multilateral organizations were briefed on the logistical preparations for the G20 process during a government-organized launch at a resort in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in November.

Officials said the upcoming G-20 presidency will also be used as an opportunity to push India as a tourist destination of choice. Delegates traveling to various meetings are taken on discovery tours to scenic locations across the country. “It is also expected that some of them will come to visit with their families, while others will extend their trips for tourism purposes,” said an official, adding that each of the destinations is prepared to host 200 delegates during the G20 work simultaneously record group meetings.

During India’s G20 Presidency, up to 215 meetings will be held in 56 locations across the country. India’s special host countries include Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Singapore, Spain and United Arab Emirates, while membership spans 19 countries – Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India , Indonesia and Italy , Japan, Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Mexico, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States – and the European Union.