WB president visits Statue of Unity in Gujarat

World Bank president David Malpass on Sunday visited the Statue of Unity in Narmada district of Gujarat.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani accompanied Malpass to the world's tallest statue, dedicated to the country's first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, from Kevadiya after he reached Vadodara.

Malpass is scheduled to address probationers of civil services on October 28 on the topic of "capacity building for civil servants" at the Tent City in Kevadiya near the statue.

Around 450 IAS probationers are participating in the foundation course of the Centre's Department of Personnel and Training at the Tent City.

I will encourage probationers and discuss with them additional ways to develop India, an official release quoted Malpass as saying.

Gujarat government officers made a presentation before Malpass at Ekta Auditorium in Kevadiya. Later, he attended a cultural programme along with Rupani and other senior officers, it stated.

As part of his four-day visit to India, the WB chief reached New Delhi on Friday. He met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman the next day.

He also delivered a keynote address on the role of the financial sector in development at the NITI Aayog's fifth lecture series.

Malpass is visiting India for the first time after taking charge as the president of the multi-lateral funding agency in April this year.

On Sunday, probationers of civil services--IAS, IPS, IFS and IRS--and family members of civil servants celebrated Diwali at Vadia and Vora villages in Narmada district as part of their village visit programme, the release stated.