This is the fourth bi-weekly bulletin for the period from August 18 to 30, 2023.

(1) 25 August 2023- Direct Flights between Amritsar and Kuala Lumpur

AirAsia X will resume their direct flights between the holy city of Amritsar (Punjab, India) and Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. Offering two roundtrips per week, AirAsia X will utilize the A30-300 aircraft with more than 300 plus seats to increase connectivity between the two cities. Currently, the route from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL) and Amritsar’s Sri Guru Ram Das Ji International Airport (ATQ) is covered solely by Batik Air. However, this is bound to change on September 3, when the first AirAsia X flight gets on the runway. Moreover, the route will also see the entrance of Malaysian Airways, which is set to enter the market on November 10. The resumption of AirAsia X’s services and Malaysia Airlines’ entry into the market will increase the number of weekly two-way seats between Kuala Lumpur and Amritsar from approximately 970 to over 5,000.

This nearly five-fold increase in seats will not only benefit the Punjabi diaspora settling in Malaysia, other ASEAN nations, Hong Kong, Australia, and New Zealand but will also boost Amritsar’s tourism and economy. Keeping in mind the importance of tourism to India’s ties with ASEAN, the greater air connectivity will further amplify it

(2) 26 August 2023- G20 Culture Ministers’ Meeting

The G20 Culture Ministers’ Meeting convened in Varanasi on August 26. Ministers of Culture and dignitaries from G20 members and invitee countries attended the meeting along with representatives from international organizations. During India’s Presidency, the G20 Culture Working Group (CWG) worked towards creating concrete and practical results for the four priority areas outlined by India’s CWG. These areas include the Protection and Restitution of Cultural Property, the use of Living Heritage for a Sustainable Future, the Promotion of Cultural and Creative Industries and Creative Economy, and the employment of Digital Technologies to safeguard and promote Culture. The engagement was successfully achieved through continuous discussions in CWG meetings, bilateral sessions, and Global Thematic Webinars. The Culture Ministers’ Meeting (CMM) marked the apex of all previous deliberations, initiatives, and conversations. 

G20 Culture Ministers agree to use culture to address development challenges such as climate change, inequality, and digital transformation, with the goal of building more inclusive societies that value all cultures equally. The Culture Ministers Meeting in India has named its Outcome Document as the “Kashi Culture Pathway,” which all members have agreed upon without dissent. The document outlines the commitments and agreements reached by the G20 Culture Ministers on the priorities set forth by the G20 Culture Working Group during India’s G20 Presidency.

This document was welcomed by the International Labour Organization. “ILO strongly supports the call for strengthened cooperation towards advancing ethical, legal and technical considerations to place culture in a more just digital environment, addressing issues on the protection of intellectual property, transparency, and the right to consent to use,”  Satoshi Sasaki ( Deputy Director of the ILO India) said. “ILO is ready to support the G20 Member States and Ministers of Culture to ensure the integration of decent work goals into ongoing and future cultural policies.”