More Optimistic Than Ever About Progress India Is Making In Health, Development And Climate: Bill Gates

Gates said in a write-up, "At a time when the world has so many challenges, it's inspiring to visit a dynamic and creative place like India”. 

Gates said he has been in touch with PM Modi especially, about developing Covid vaccines.

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New Delhi: Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates, commended India’s progress in fields like health, development and climate and said it shows what is possible when investment is made in innovation.

Gates praised India for its "amazing ability to manufacture lots of safe, effective, and affordable vaccines, some of them supported by the Gates Foundation". He said it saved millions of lives during the Covid-19 pandemic and has prevented other diseases in the world, reported PTI. 

On Friday, Gates, who is co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

He said in a write-up, "At a time when the world has so many challenges, it's inspiring to visit a dynamic and creative place like India”. 

While he didn’t travel a lot in the last three years because of the pandemic, Gates said he has been in touch with PM Modi, especially about developing Covid vaccines and investing in India's health systems, reported PTI.

Other than developing life-saving tools, India excels at delivering them too, adding that the public health system has delivered more than 2.2 billion doses of Covid vaccines, said Gates.

He also talked about the open-source platform in Co-WIN, which allowed people to schedule billions of vaccine appointments and delivered digital certifications for those who were vaccinated.

"Prime Minister Modi believes that Co-WIN is a model for the world, and I agree," he said, according to PTI.

He said 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. It's a reminder that financial inclusion is a fantastic investment," he said.

The Microsoft co-founder praised the Gati Shakti programme and said it is an excellent 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.

During his meeting with PM Modi, Gates said he discussed India's G20 presidency this year. He said it was an excellent opportunity to highlight how innovations developed in the country can benefit the world and help other countries adopt them.

Supporting these efforts – especially spreading its digital ID and payments systems to other places – is a high priority for the foundation, he 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 what's possible when we invest in innovation. I hope India will continue this progress and share its innovations with the world”, Gates said, according to PTI.