Nirmala Sitharaman On Global Tax Deal, Structural Reforms: Watch Harvard Kennedy School Chat

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman spoke to Harvard Kennedy School students while on an official visit to the U.S. to attend the G20 meetings.

Sitharaman had a wide-ranging conversation with Lawrence Summers, well-known economist and former president of Harvard University, and also fielded questions.

She commented on the global tax reform agreement, finalised last week. "I will be looking forward to having to greater conversations on that in this G20 (meeting)," she said.

Sitharaman also underscored the need for institutional reforms at the United Nations, World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

Many of them now no longer speak for countries whose issues have remained unattended to for decades together, whether it is on trade, security, monetary framework and on funding development, she was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

Responding to a question on the recent violence at Lakhimpur Kheri which resulted in the death of protesting farmers, Sitharaman described the incident as “absolutely condemnable”.

PTI reported that she was asked why there is no word on this from the prime minister, senior ministers and why there is a “defensive reaction” when somebody asks questions about such things.

“No, absolutely not ... It's nice of you to have picked up that one incident which is absolutely condemnable, every one of us say that. Equally there are instances happening elsewhere, is my concern."

Watch Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman speak at the Harvard Kennedy School here.