Ashish Ranjan
Ajay Banga tests COVID-19 positive: The nominee for president of the World Bank, Ajay Banga tests positive during routine testing in New Delhi and is presently in quarantine, the Treasury Department announced on Thursday. Banga was in Delhi on the final stage of his international tour.
In the past two weeks, influenza and coronavirus cases have increased in India. According to updated data from the Union Ministry of Health, the country has recorded 1,134 new coronavirus cases, while the number of active cases has increased to 7,026.
Wednesday, New Delhi recorded 84 coronavirus cases with a positivity rate of 5.08 percent, according to data from the city’s health department.Recent days have seen an increase in the number of new Covid infections in the city, coinciding with a significant rise in H3N2 influenza cases across the nation.
Banga’s visit to New Delhi (March 23 and 24) is the final stop on his three-week global tour, which began in Africa and continued through Europe, Latin America, and Asia, according to PTI.”Ajay Banga tested positive for COVID-19 during routine testing, but he remains asymptomatic. In accordance with local regulations, he is being quarantined in isolation,” the Treasury Department said Thursday afternoon.
The 63-year-old Banga was scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman, and Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, according to a previous Treasury statement.India immediately supported Banga’s candidature following the announcement of his nomination.
Since then, a diverse coalition of governments, including Bangladesh, Côte d’Ivoire, Colombia, Egypt, France, Germany, Ghana, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Korea, and the United Kingdom, have expressed their support for Banga.Banga met with prominent government officials, stakeholders, business leaders, entrepreneurs, and members of civil society during his global listening tour.
Along the way, he has gained the support of advocates, academics, development experts, executives, Nobel Laureates, and former government officials for his candidacy.If elected, Banga will utilize his experience living and working in emerging markets as well as his expertise in forging public-private partnerships to mobilize investments and action to address persistent challenges.
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This includes his efforts at Mastercard to effectively bring 500 million previously unbanked individuals into the digital economy, as well as the company’s assistance to 50 million small businesses.
