Addressing the New Global Financing Pact Summit in Paris earlier in the day, the minister said multilateral development banks (MDBs) have historically been a critical pillar of support for much of the developing world.
“However, with MDBs being asked, especially by non-borrowing shareholders, to expand their mandate and vision to address transboundary challenges, alongside their core mandate, the pressure on MDBs’ lending resources is going to increase many fold,” she said. “The solution to the problem, therefore, has to be multi-pronged,” she added.
The G20 Expert Group on strengthening MDBs will be submitting its first report in June, the minister said. The group will submit its report in two parts, with the second report likely to be handed over in October, the group’s co-convener and 15th Finance Commission chairman NK Singh had said earlier this week.
Women’s Economic empowerment
Separately, the minister asserted that a raft of schemes, including the MUDRA Yojana and Stand-Up India, have enabled women in even vulnerable sections of society to harness their economic prowess. At the same time, direct benefit transfers have ensured that leakages in the system are curbed.