Talking about the Union Budget 2023-24, Sitharaman said India has announced the setting up of three centres of excellence in artificial intelligence as it is a key focus for the government.

Participating in a roundtable on "Investing in the India Decade", organised by FICCI and USISPF, Sitharaman underlined the reality of a global acknowledgement of 'New India' and the renewed role the country is poised to play in the global economic order, besides India as an investment destination going forward into Amrit Kaal.

She said India is adapting at twice the rate at which technology and digitisation tools are being adopted by people around the world, effectively making their life far easier. The FM said local languages are being onboarded in the country's digitisation drive as most of the Constitutional languages now have access to India’s Digital Public Infrastructure platform, increasing reach, creating impact and exploring potential.

The FM also visited NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, where she was given presentations about various activities at the space centre. Notably, NASA’s GSFC Hyperwall is a video wall capable of displaying multiple high-definition data visualisations and images simultaneously across an arrangement of screens. The hyper-wall is used to help explain phenomena, ideas, or examples of world change.

During her meeting with Gita Gopinath, FDMD, IMF, the FM noted IMF’s concerns on key downside risks to the economy, including financial sector stress, rising real interest rates, elevated debt, inflation, geo-political fragmentation, and faltering growth in China, as highlighted in World Economic Outlook.

The FM also met the Minister of Finance, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and talked about the World Bank Evolution Roadmap and the Expert Group on Strengthening the Multilateral Development Banks constituted by the G20India Presidency.

economic challenges

India & US must cooperate to tackle global economic challenges: FM