Stressing the Bretton Woods institutions’ role in shaping the future, the Union Finance Minister said, “Shaping the future is one very ambitious goal and we need to follow that and we need to have Bretton Woods institutions work on that rather than reacting to future developments. Unfortunately, in the last few decades, we see them reacting to future developments with the strength that they have. And I think, therefore, information sharing is one thing.”

The Bretton Woods Institutions are the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). They were set up at a meeting of 43 countries in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire in the US in July 1944. Their aims were to help rebuild the shattered postwar economy and promote international economic cooperation.

In her remarks, Ms Sitharaman said, “India, of course, has International Solar Alliance, Biofuel Alliance, and we’re talking about disaster-resilient infrastructure and all these need money. All these need help for countries which are in smaller economies, island economies, which need them. So, through the digital public infrastructure that we have publicly funded and taken it up to different countries, we are spreading that attention and I think these are areas in which India will contribute.”

Nirmala Sitharaman arrived in Washington, DC on October 23. India’s Ambassador to the US, Vinay Kwatra, welcomed her in Washington, DC. Before visiting Washington, DC, Sitharaman was in New York.

In a post on X, the Ministry of Finance said, “Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs @nsitharaman is welcomed at Washington DC by India’s Ambassador to USA, @AmbVMKwatra after her arrival from New York, today evening.”