Bill Gates hails India's progress in health, Climate, other sectors

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 innovation. He 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 COVID-19 pandemic and prevented other diseases around the world. Gates, who is co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday during his trip to India.

My conversation with Prime Minister @narendramodi left me more optimistic than ever about the progress that India is making in health, development, and climate. https://t.co/igH3ete4gD @PMOIndia

— Bill Gates (@BillGates) March 4, 2023

Gates further said that India is making strong progress toward a healthier future for women and children through POSHAN 2.0 with a focus on data & monitoring. He 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. It’s a reminder that financial inclusion is a fantastic investment,” he said.