Bill Gates on Odisha trip
Prior to his Odisha visit, Bill Gates had mentioned about it in his blog. During my trip, he said, he will witness India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) in action. “I plan to tour an agricultural monitoring center in Odisha, where government officials utilize DPI to provide real-time guidance to farmers. Thanks to Aadhaar, this center maintains a database of 7.5 million farmers, irrespective of land ownership, along with their crop details. This enables officials to monitor agricultural activities and offer tailored advice based on specific needs, facilitated by a chatbot delivering information in local languages using AI technology,” he said.
He also mentioned about the the pest-management initiative associated with this service, which he says, now benefits over 4 million farmers,” he said.
India making a big difference in health: Bill Gates
In his blog, Bill Gates highlighted India’s significant contribution to global health, particularly in the field of vaccination. He emphasized that India stands as the world’s largest producer of vaccines, accounting for over 60 percent of those distributed by Gavi, an organization instrumental in vaccinating over 1 billion children in lower-income nations. Indian pharmaceutical companies have been instrumental in developing high-quality, affordable vaccines and drugs, playing a leading role in combatting diseases such as HIV/AIDS, as well as producing vaccines for rotavirus, pneumococcal pneumonia, and COVID-19, he said.
Gates acknowledged the Indian government’s efforts in supplying vaccines not only to its own population but also to other countries with low- and middle-income levels. He credits India with significantly accelerating the availability of new medicines and vaccines to developing nations, considering these efforts among the most crucial achievements in global health.
