FM Sitharaman begins US tour; to attend Spring Meeting, G20

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is slated to visit the United States on April 18 to attend the Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank.

Sitharaman will also attend the G20 Finance Ministers’ meeting and the Central Bank Governor Meeting (FMCBG).

“The visit will also include several bilateral interactions, including with Indonesia, South Korea, Sri Lanka and South Africa, as well as a high-level meeting with World Bank President David Malpass,” a statement issued by the Ministry of Finance said.

The Finance Minister will also hold one-on-one meetings with CEOs from the semiconductor, energy and other sectors of priority on behalf of the Indian government.

During the course of the visit, Sitharaman will participate in a high-level panel discussion on “Money at a Crossroad” hosted by the managing director of IMF.

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Apart from her official engagements with the World Bank, IMF, G-20 and Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Nirmala Sitharaman will also attend an event at the Atlantic Council, a prominent think tank based in Washington DC, and will also interact with the faculty and students at Stanford University.

The Sri Lankan delegation will likely meet the Indian team in Washington DC on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) meetings to explore further assistance from New Delhi in the form of additional credits for essential commodities and balance-of-payment support.

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India recently announced that it would extend a $1 billion line of credit to Sri Lanka, as part of its financial assistance to deal with the economic crisis in the country.

(With inputs from Agencies)