Milan [Italy]: Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman, addressed the Indian diaspora and key international dignitaries in Milan, Italy, where she emphasized the transformational progress India has made over the past decade under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Speaking at a special interaction organized for the Indian community, Sitharaman underlined that while past governments may have had good intentions, their efforts were often hindered by ineffective delivery systems.
“I’m not suggesting that earlier governments did not intend to deliver,” she remarked. “The intention might have been there, but the delivery was not efficient. And therefore, in spite of several slogans, actual delivery on the ground was lacking.”
In a social media post echoing her remarks, the minister noted:
“Several governments could not achieve over several decades because their delivery was not efficient. But in the last 10 years, what primarily had to be delivered for every citizen—without any differentiation or discrimination—has been delivered.”
She cited the wide-scale provision of basic amenities such as electricity, piped water, pucca housing, quality roads, and healthcare as key examples of this progress.
In addition to engaging with the diaspora, Sitharaman met with Katsunobu Kato, Japan’s Minister of Finance, on the sidelines of the 58th Annual Meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The two ministers discussed strategies to further deepen the India-Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership, with a focus on promoting peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
Sitharaman also participated in the Governors’ Business Session of the ADB Annual Meeting, where she presented India’s growth narrative and outlined the country’s development goals under the ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’ vision—a roadmap toward making India a developed nation by its 100th year of independence.
She reiterated India’s strong support for ADB’s evolving vision to be proactive, agile, bold, and client-centric, highlighting these qualities as essential for building a prosperous, inclusive, and sustainable Asia-Pacific.
Sitharaman is currently leading the Indian delegation to the ADB Board of Governors’ Annual Meeting, which is taking place from May 4 to 7 in Milan.