<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; color: #222222; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-align: start;">Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said,reforms undertaken by India before and after the pandemic will ensure itremains one of the fastest-growing economies in the world in the decade ending2030.  She also said India's economic recovery from the impact ofcoronavirus pandemic has been distinct and pronounced.<br style="text-align: start;" />''<br style="text-align: start;" />''Ms Sitharaman was speaking at an event organisedby Atlantic Council in Washington DC yesterday. She said that the governmentdecided, not to levy Covid tax on people to get out of the pandemic as it wasfirm that country's revenue to rescue the economy was not going to come fromtaxing people.<br style="text-align: start;" />''<br style="text-align: start;" />''She said, when the world was hit by the pandemic, government realized that the best way for recovery of economy would be tospend money in building infrastructure and invested heavily on capitalexpenditure.<br style="text-align: start;" />''<br style="text-align: start;" />''She said, the government has made sure that freefoodgrains, pulses and some quantity of cooking gas were distributed to 800million Indians in 2020. She said, the free foodgrain program continues evennow.<br style="text-align: start;" />''<br style="text-align: start;" />''During her address, Sitharaman said that India isone of the six countries that has fulfilled a large chunk of the Paris ClimateSummit 2015 commitments and is committed to fulfilling renewable energytargets.  <br style="text-align: start;" />''<br style="text-align: start;" />''Later the Finance Minister held a meeting withFinancial Stability Board Chair Klaas Knot on the sidelines of IMF-World BankSpring Meetings 2022 in Washington DC. During the meeting, Ms Sitharaman andKlass Knot exchanged views on dimensions of risk in crypto eco-system.<br style="text-align: start;" />''<br style="text-align: start;" />''Earlier, the Finance Minister metVice-Chair of the Climate Finance Leadership Initiative and the firstwoman to serve as U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chair, Mary Schapiroin Washington DC. During the meeting, Mary Shapiro discussed the success inIndia related to building a robust renewable energy markets.<br style="text-align: start;" />''<br style="text-align: start;" />''She said, it is an opportune time for India toplay a leadership role in shaping global Climate Finance trends. NirmalaSitharaman spoke about her vision of developing GIFT city as centre forattracting global capital for sustainable finance.<br style="text-align: start;" />''<br style="text-align: start;" />''Nirmala Sitharaman and RBI Governor ShaktikantaDas today attended the G20 Emerging Market Economies meeting. The meeting wasorganised by International Monetary Fund in Washington D.C on the sidelines ofthe upcoming G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting.<br style="text-align: start;" />''<br style="text-align: start;" />''During the meeting, Nirmala Sitharaman shared herinsights on the economic outlook, risks and near-term policy challenges likefood, energy security and tightening of global financial conditions foremerging market economies.<br style="text-align: start;" />''<br style="text-align: start;" />''She said, there is an urgent need for coordinatedaction across countries to not only enable swift post-pandemic recovery butalso to build resilience to future shocks. Stressing on the need forenvironmentally sustainable and financially viable alternatives of energysources, she said,<br style="text-align: start;" />''<br style="text-align: start;" />''International Solar Alliance can be an effectiveplatform to catalyse efforts in this direction, she added.</span><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif"><o:p /></span></p>