India on Wednesday asked multilateral lending institutions like the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to extend support to developing countries to prevent the COVID-induced health crisis from turning into a full-blown economic catastrophe. Addressing the 54th annual meeting of the board of governors of the ADB, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also underlined the need for a coordinated and inclusive global strategy to avoid the long-term debilitating impact of the pandemic on the developing economies. Amidst this crisis, multilateral institutions, such as the ADB, are needed more than ever to support DMCs and prevent the health crisis from cascading into a full-blown economic crisis.