'More optimistic than ever about India's progress': Bill Gates writes in official blog after meeting PM Modi

Bill Gates wrote in his official blog that he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi met on Friday and discussed climate change, India's G20 presidency, the "innovative work" being done in the country's health sector, as well as other important topics.

Sharing the 'highlight' on GatesNotes, the billionaire philanthropist 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 these vaccines saved millions of lives during the COVID-19 pandemic and prevented other diseases around the world.

Co-WIN wins

Besides producing new lifesaving tools, India also excels at delivering them: its public health system has delivered more than 2.2 billion doses of COVID vaccines through 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, Gates said in the write-up.

"Prime Minister Modi believes that Co-WIN is a model for the world, and I agree," Gates, who is co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, added.

The co-founder of Microsoft commended India for embracing electronic payments during the pandemic. He said that at least 300 million people, 200 million of whom were women, received emergency digital payments.

Aadhaar system praised

"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.

Gati Shakti programme

Gates also praised the Gati Shakti programme as 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 noted.

India's G20 presidency

According to Mr. Gates, India's G20 presidency is a great chance to emphasize how innovations created in the nation can benefit the entire world and to encourage other nations to adopt them.

The foundation places a high priority on supporting these initiatives, especially in terms of expanding its digital ID and payment systems, he said.

Concluding the blog, Gates said that he felt "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," he added.