U.S. Nominee For World Bank President Ajay Banga's Visit To India Is Cancelled
Banga's meetings planned during his two-day visit to India have been cancelled, as he tests Covid-19 posistive.
The U.S. nominee for World Bank President, Ajay Banga, who was scheduled on a two-day visit to India to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Niramala Sitharaman, among others, has been tested positive for Covid-19. Following this meetings planned during his two-day visit to India have been cancelled.
Banga's March 23–24 visit to New Delhi was to be the final stop on his three-week global tour that began in Africa before progressing to Europe, Latin America, and Asia.
"While in India, Banga will meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as the Minister of Finance, Nirmala Sitharaman, and the Minister of External Affairs, S Jaishankar. These discussions will focus on India's development priorities, the World Bank, and global economic development challenges," the U.S. Treasury Department has said in a statement.
Additionally, it said, Banga will visit the Learnet Institute of Skills, which is a network of vocational institutes established in collaboration with the National Skills Development Corporation and funded in part by the World Bank.
Banga will learn about the Institute's programme and meet with programme participants, staff, alumni, and private sector partners to discuss how it is improving the lives and economic opportunities of participants – particularly young people, it said.
India's government endorsed Banga's candidacy soon after his nomination was announced, it said, adding, since then, a diverse coalition of governments have expressed their support for Banga, including Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, France, Germany, Ghana, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Korea, and the United Kingdom.
During his global listening tour, Banga has met with senior government officials, stakeholders, business leaders, entrepreneurs, and members of civil society, the statement said.
Along the way, he has built continuous momentum for his candidacy, gaining the support of advocates, academics, development experts, executives, Nobel laureates, and former government officials, it said.
If elected to serve, Banga will draw from his experience living and working in emerging markets and his expertise in forging public-private partnerships to mobilise investments and action to confront long standing challenges, it added.
That includes his efforts at Mastercard to successfully bring 500 million previously unbanked people into the digital economy, as well as its support for 50 million small businesses.
