New Delhi, Oct 16 (IANS): Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said that the the impact of coronavirus pandemic continues and the achievements in reducing the level of poverty across countries are at risk.

In her address at the World Bank Development Committee Plenary, through video conferencing, Sitharaman said that being a "responsible" member of global fraternity, India is ready to share its experience and also play a leading role in the South Asian region as part of its "Neighbourhood First" policy, an official statement said.

"Sitharaman stated that the Covid-19 Pandemic which started before our last meeting in April, continues to impact the developing and developed countries till date and the hard-fought gains in reducing the level of poverty, achieved over a number of years, are at great risk of being lost," it said.

She also mentioned that the Indian government has taken several measures to contain the spread of pandemic, and also to mitigate its social and economic impact.

The Finance Minister also stated that collective action is the key for effective response to the pandemic.