New Delhi, November 21: Prime Minister Narendra Modi pitched for a "new global index" while virtually attending the 'G20 Riyadh Summit' hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Saturday. The new index, he said, is essential for a world that is stepping into the post-COVID-19 era. He also offered the Indian IT prowess before the G20 grouping to develop "digital facilities".

The Prime Minister, in his address at the forum, said group of 20 countries which had convened for the summit need to take "decisive measures". The need of the hour is to not only recreate jobs and reboot the economy, but also to take significant measures towards preserving the planet, he added. Modi Speaks to US President-Elect Joe Biden on Phone, Discusses COVID-19, Climate Change.

"Had a very fruitful discussion with G20 leaders. Coordinated efforts by the largest economies of the world will surely lead to faster recovery from this pandemic. Thanked Saudi Arabia for hosting the Virtual Summit," Modi tweeted.

Indian PM Pitches for 'New Global Index'

"Multi-skilling and re-skilling to build a talent pool will enhance dignity and resilience of our workers. Value of new technologies should be measured by their benefit to humanity," Modi said, adding that societies across the world will find confidence in the measures to recover from the pandemic only if "transparency" is incorporated in all the processes.

"We offered India's IT prowess to further develop digital facilities for efficient functioning of the G20," the statement issued on his Twitter handle following the summit added.

This was the second virtual G20 summit which the Prime Minister attended this year. The elite grouping had last convened virtually, under the chairmanship of Riyadh, in June this year when the coronavirus crisis was soaring in several countries including India.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 21, 2020 11:42 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).