The panel was set up in January to identify solutions for preparedness and response to the pandemic

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday shared India's preparedness and response to Covid-19 with the G20 panel of ministers while highlighting the slew of measures undertaken to support the economy during the pandemic.

https://twitter.com/FinMinIndia/status/1412055682782617610

The meeting of the G20 High-Level Independent Panel (HLIP) was held virtually and was also attended by Singapore Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, former US treasury secretary Lawrence H Summers and World Trade Organisation (WTO) Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the finance ministry tweeted.

The meeting discussed the panel's work which will be presented during the Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meeting to be held later this month.

"FM Smt. @nsitharaman shared India's #preparedness and #response to #CoVID19 and highlighted the slew of measures undertaken by the Government in strengthening the #healthsystem and supporting the #Indianeconomy in the fight against the pandemic," the Finance ministry said in a tweet.

The G20 had established the HLIP in January to identify solutions for preparedness and response to the pandemic, in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis which highlighted the need for a broad-based global effort to improve prevention, surveillance, preparedness and response. The panel also underlines the need for an appropriate funding system, required for managing future health threats.

India, on its part, has launched a nationwide vaccination plan for providing free vaccination against Covid-19 to millions while ensuring vaccine supply consistency to states across the country.

Last week, Nirmala Sitharaman announced a ₹6.28 lakh crore stimulus package to boost sectors ravaged by the pandemic through eight measures including ₹1.5 lakh crore additional credit for small and medium businesses, and export insurance cover of ₹1.22 lakh crore.