India's poor feel left out of G20 vision of 'inclusion'

Summit's lofty rhetoric clashes with reality for hidden slum dwellers

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A boy walks past a slum in New Delhi on Sept. 11, where a green tarp erected by the government hides the poverty from view. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)

SAYAN CHAKRABORTY and STEVEN BOROWIEC, Nikkei staff writers

NEW DELHI -- Early this month, a group of workers arrived outside Komal's small shop on a busy New Delhi street to erect a green tarp they hoped would hide her and her neighbors from passersby.

The broad, thin covering stretched from the ground into the air and was suspended from poles, tall enough to conceal the shop where she sells cold drinks, cigarettes and snacks. Komal knew the city was gearing up to hold the Group of 20 summit, during which the Indian government wanted to project the image of a strong, fast-growing country.

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