Guwahati: The billionaire Bill Gates expressed his “more optimism than ever” about the advancements India is making in its growth, health, and climate after speaking with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In his ‘dispatch’ notes, Gates said “I’ve been in India this week, learning about the innovative work going on there 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.”
Prime Minister Modi met with Gates on Friday in New Delhi.
In response to a tweet by Gates, where he shared his ‘note’ on his recent visit to India, the Prime Minister on Saturday 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.”
Terming his meeting with the PM Modi, Gates said, “PM 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, andaffordable vaccines, some of them supported by the Gates Foundation. Vaccines produced in India have saved millions of lives during the pandemic and prevented other diseases around the world”.
Furthermore, Gates recognised India’s rapid use of digital payments.
He dwelled on India’s handling of the pandemic. He said, “In addition to producing new life saving tools, India also excels at delivering them. The public health system of the country has delivered more than 2.2 billion doses of Covid vaccines. They created an open-source platform called Co-WIN, which allowed people to schedule billions of vaccine appointments and delivered digital certifications for those who were vaccinated. This platform is now being expanded to support India’s universal immunization program. Prime Minister Modi believes that Co-WIN is a model for the world, and I agree.”