Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates praises India's 'progress' in different fields

Microsoft cofounder and philanthropist Bill Gates has commended the progress India is making in fields like health development and climate and said the country is showing what is possible when investment is made in innovationHe also praised India for its amazing ability to manufacture lots of safe effective and affordable vaccines some of them supported by the Gates Foundation and said they saved millions of lives during the COVID19 pandemic and prevented other diseases around the worldGates who is cochair of the Bill amp Melinda Gates Foundation said he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday during his trip to India Modi tweeted on Saturday Delighted to meet Bill Gates and have extensive discussions on key issues His humility and passion to create a better as well as more sustainable planet are clearly visibleGates said in a writeup At a time when the world has so many challenges its inspiring to visit a dynamic and creative place like IndiaAlthough he didnt travel much over the past three years because of the pandemic Gates said he has been in touch with Modi especially about developing Covid vaccines and investing in Indias health systemsBesides producing new lifesaving tools India also excels at delivering them its public health system has delivered more than 22 billion doses of Covid vaccines Gates said adding that it created an opensource platform in CoWIN which allowed people to schedule billions of vaccine appointments and delivered digital certifications for those who were vaccinated Prime Minister Modi believes that CoWIN is a model for the world and I agree he saidHe noted that India transferred emergency digital payments to 300 million people including 200 million women during the pandemic This was only possible because India has made financial inclusion a priority investing in a digital ID system called Aadhaar and creating innovative platforms for digital banking Its a reminder that financial inclusion is a fantastic investment he saidAlso read Bill Gates has a special message for Mahesh Babu follows him on social mediaPraising the Gati Shakti programme Gates said it is a great example of how digital technology can help governments work better It digitally connects 16 ministries including rail and roads so they can integrate their plans for infrastructure projects and accelerate the work of Indian scientists and engineers he notedGates said he discussed with Modi Indias G20 presidency this year and added that its an excellent opportunity to highlight how innovations developed in the country can benefit the world and to help other countries adopt themSupporting these efforts especially spreading its digital ID and payments systems to other places is a high priority for the foundation he said Gates said My conversation with the Prime Minister left me more optimistic than ever about the progress that India is making in health development and climate The country is showing whats possible when we invest in innovation I hope India will continue this progress and share its innovations with the worldHe also endorsed the governments push for millets and said they are indeed a super food as put by Modi They are also waterefficient and heat tolerant he saidI even got to taste millet khichdi a type of porridge at a Godh Bharai ceremony similar to a baby shower for two women hosted by the Ministry of Women and Child Development he saidHis conversation with the prime minister also touched on the issue of climate changeWeve been working together on climate for years India is a key partner in Mission Innovation the program launched in 2015 to accelerate work on clean energy technologies Im looking forward to getting together with the MI partners during the COP28 Summit this December to accelerate the development of new sources of affordable reliable clean energy he saidGates also lauded Indias efforts to eliminate deadly and debilitating diseases like tuberculosis visceral leishmaniasis and lymphatic filariasisHe PM Modi told me about a fascinating movement taking shape in India Communities are adopting TB patients to make sure they get the nutrition and care they need India has used a similar approach with HIV and its been shown to produce lasting results Gates saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever