During his visit to New Delhi, Chen met Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) Secretary and ADB Alternate Governor Ajay Seth and commended the achievement of record $4.87 billion of ADB lending commitment, including $274 million for private sector operations, to India in 2021 and discussed the future cooperation."ADB will continue to work closely with the Government of India to support the government's priorities in reinvigorating economic activity to generate more jobs, improve productivity, and create livelihood opportunities held back by the pandemic," Chen said in a statement.
ADB's current India portfolio comprises 62 ongoing projects worth $14.65 billion across transport, urban, energy, human development, agriculture and natural resources, and finance sectors.Chen emphasized that ADB aims to help India battle against climate change by serving as the climate bank for Asia and the Pacific. Support to climate actions in India will focus on decarbonisation of transport, energy transition, climate change adaptation, air quality and water resources improvements, and disaster risk management.
ADB's upcoming country partnership strategy (CPS, 2023-2027) for India is under preparation, which will guide ADB's India operations. To kick off the CPS formulation through a comprehensive stakeholder consultation process, Mr. Chen along with Mr. Seth opened the day-long national workshop on 6 September to discuss the CPS priorities. Jointly organized by ADB and DEA, the workshop was attended by over 65 senior officials from central government ministries and the state governments. The vice-president chaired separate meetings with private sector representatives and development partners to discuss the CPS priorities.