‘Our focus was on direct transfers, food guarantees, structural reform’

Nirmala Sitharaman spoke about India's policy response to the pandemic. She said that India's domestic policies have been based broadly on supporting citizens.

New Delhi: Union Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has participated virtually in the First G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meeting under the Italian Presidency to discuss policy actions for transformative and equitable recovery.

The other issues on the agenda on Friday included global economic outlook, financial sector issues, financial inclusion and sustainable finance.

Sitharaman spoke about India's policy response to the pandemic. She said that India's domestic policies have been based broadly on supporting citizens through measures such as credit guarantees, direct transfers, food guarantees, economic stimulus packages and accelerating structural reform.

She also spoke about India's vaccination programme, which is the world's largest and the most ambitious vaccination drive. She mentioned that India has extended vaccine support to several countries.

During this meeting, G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors also discussed the implications of climate change on global growth and financial stability.

Speaking on the Presidency's proposal to undertake systematic policy dialogue on climate risk and environment taxation, Sitharaman suggested that these conversations should remain within the ambit of Paris Agreement and should be based on the principles of common but differentiated responsibility, respective capability, and the voluntary nature of the commitments.

The Finance Minister also stressed upon the importance of transfer of green technologies and scaling up of climate finance.

(IANS)