World Bank presidential nominee Ajay Banga tested positive for COVID-19 during routine testing in New Delhi, news agency reported on Thursday. He is currently quarantining in isolation, the Department of Treasury said.

Share Market Live

NSE

“During routine testing, Ajay Banga tested positive for COVID-19 but remains asymptomatic. In adherence with local guidelines, he is quarantining in isolation,” the Department of Treasury was quoted by PTI as saying Thursday afternoon.

Banga's India meetings cancelled

Banga's meeting with Nirmala Sitharaman would not happen as he is in quarantine, a finance ministry statement said on Friday.

Banga's New Delhi visit on March 23 and March 24 is the final stop on his three-week global tour that began in Africa before progressing to Europe, Latin America and Asia.

Besides Sitharaman, Banga (63) was scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar during his two-day visit, the Treasury said in a previous statement.

These discussions were to focus on India's development priorities, the World Bank, and global economic development challenges, a treasury statement said.

India endorsed Banga’s candidacy soon after his nomination was announced.

Since then, a diverse coalition of governments has expressed their support for Banga, including Bangladesh, Côte d’Ivoire, Colombia, Egypt, France, Germany, Ghana, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Korea, and the United Kingdom.

During his global listening tour, Banga 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 mobilise investments and action to confront longstanding 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.

New Delhi logged 84 coronavirus cases with a positivity rate of 5.08 per cent on Wednesday, according to data shared by the health department.

The city has seen an increase in the number of fresh COVID infections over the last few days, amid a sharp rise in H3N2 influenza cases in the country.

Banga tested COVID-19 positive as India continues to witness a spike in influenza and COVID-19 cases in the past two weeks. The country has recorded 1,134 new coronavirus cases, while the active cases increased to 7,026, according to Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday.

(With inputs from PTI)

First Published:Mar 24, 2023 8:43 AM IST