NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Bill Gates here last week. In response to a tweet by Gates, where he shared his ‘Note’ on his recent visit to India, the PM tweeted: “Delighted to meet @BillGates and have extensive discussions on key issues. His humility and passion to create a better as well as more sustainable planet are clearly visible.”
In his ‘dispatch’, Gates said “I’ve been in India this week, learning about the innovative work going on here in health, climate change, and other crucial areas. At a time when the world has so many challenges, it’s inspiring to visit a dynamic and creative place like India.”
Terming his meeting with the PM the highlight of his visit, Gates said “Prime Minister Modi and I have stayed in touch, especially about developing COVID-19 vaccines and investing in India’s health systems.
India has an amazing ability to manufacture lots of safe, effective, and affordable vaccines, some of them supported by the Gates Foundation.”
He dwelt on India’s handling of the pandemic and said, “in addition to producing new life saving tools, India also excels at delivering them — its public health system has delivered more than 2.2 billion doses of COVID vaccines. Prime Minister Modi believes that Co-WIN is a model for the world, and I agree.”
Bill Gates praised India’s stride in digital payments, and said “India has made financial inclusion a priority, investing in a digital ID system (called Aadhaar) and creating innovative platforms for digital banking.”
