The United States nominee for World Bank President, Indian-American Ajay Banga, who arrived in Delhi on a two-day visit on Thursday, tested positive for Covid-19 during a routine testing, according to a spokesperson of the embassy.
Banga was scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as the minister of finance Nirmala Sitharaman and minister of external affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar but the meetings have been cancelled.
During routine testing, Ajay Banga tested positive for COVID-19 but remains asymptomatic. In adherence with local guidelines, he is quarantining in isolation.
“During routine testing, Ajay Banga tested positive for COVID-19 but remains asymptomatic. In adherence with local guidelines, he is quarantining in isolation. Mr. Banga tested positive upon arrival in Delhi. Mr. Banga has conducted multiple tests for COVID during his tour, and tested negative before departing for India.” said Spokesperson of U.S. Embassy in New Delhi.
Banga was also scheduled to visit the Learnet Institute of Skills, which is a network of vocational institutes established in collaboration with the National Skills Development Corporation, funded in part by the World Bank. Banga will learn about the Institute’s program and meet with program participants, staff, alumni, and private sector partners to discuss how it is improving the lives and economic opportunities of participants – particularly young people.
India’s government endorsed Banga’s candidacy soon after his nomination was announced. Since then, a diverse coalition of governments have expressed their support for Banga, including Bangladesh, Côte d’Ivoire, Colombia, Egypt, France, Germany, Ghana, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom.
During his global listening tour, Banga has met with senior government officials, stakeholders, business leaders, entrepreneurs, and civil society. 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.
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 mobilize investments and action to confront long standing challenges. 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.