Lucknow: The American multinational technology company Microsoft founder Bill Gates today arrived in Uttar Pradesh state capital to meet Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at his official resident to discuss progress related to Melinda Gates Foundation running in the state.
The Microsoft boss Bill Gates who is currently in India met Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday morning. The former Microsoft boss arrived at Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s Lucknow office this morning in Audi car.
Principal Secretary, Avnish Awasthy talking about this meeting said that UP CM told Bill Gates that 92 Lakh children have been vaccinated against Encephalitis and added that government will have to work on acute Encephalitis.
On other hand, “Bill Gates told us that he is already monitoring vector-borne diseases with Indian Council of Medical Research. Regional vector disease centre at BRD medical college will be strengthened.”
Bill Gates meets Yogi Adityanath to discuss MeIinda Gates foundation running in UP:
Avnish Awasthy further added that Adityanath is not the only politician Bill Gates have met during his India trip. Yesterday, he met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and discussed with him various welfare initiatives of the American philanthropies he is involved in here.
The meeting assumes significance as registration of one of the Indian NGOs, Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), which has been working in the field of public health, was cancelled by the home ministry in April.
The Gates Foundation was one of the donors to this NGO. The home minister met Gates, co-chair and trustee of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, an official statement said.
After the meet, Rajnath Singh praised various welfare works being undertaken by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in India and requested Gates to initiate health awareness programmes in the country.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates meets Yogi Adityanath to discuss MeIinda Gates foundation running in UP:
The home minister also suggested that the foundation should concentrate on developing villages and make them “model villages” so that the local people get inspired, the statement said.
Assuring constructive support to India, Gates also explained about the various technologies being adopted by them in the field of agriculture and sanitation, it added.
Later, while participating in a panel discussion, Gates said if India can achieve a 7 per cent average growth rate over the next 20 years and do that in an equitable way then it will be a remarkable achievement for the country.
“If India over the next 20 years can achieve a 7 per cent average growth and do that in equitable way thats a miracle for the country and the world,” he said while participating in a panel discussion organised by Observer Research Foundation and Bill & Melinda Gates foundation.
The billionaire, however, lamented that philanthropy in US is 2 per cent of overall economic activity but it is less than 0.2 per cent in India.
