PM Modi, Bill Gates discuss global response to Covid-19 and India’s role

PM Narendra Modi interacted with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates last evening and discussed the global response to Covid-19 and the need for global coordination to combat the pandemic. Modi sought Gates’ suggestions on how India’s capabilities could be leveraged to benefit the world.

“The Prime Minister underlined the conscious approach that India has adopted in its fight against the health crisis - an approach based on ensuring public engagement through appropriate messaging”, a PMO release said.

“He explained how this people-centric bottom-up approach has helped win acceptability for physical distancing, respect for front-line workers, wearing of masks, maintaining proper hygiene, and respecting lockdown provisions,” the release added.

Modi had tweeted about his interaction with Gates:

In the meeting, Gates and Modi agreed upon the fact that it was important for New Delhi to be a part of the global discussions regarding the pandemic, given “ India’s willingness and capacity to contribute to global efforts, particularly for benefit of fellow developing countries”. Modi also underlined the conscious efforts put up by India in the fight against the virus.

In the discussion, Modi also focused on how the government’s development initiatives such as “expanding financial inclusion, popularising hygiene through Swachh Bharat Mission, strengthening last mile delivery of health services among others, had helped improve India’s response to the coronavirus pandemic”.

In closing, PM Modi also suggested that the “Gates Foundation could take the lead in analysing the necessary changes in lifestyles, economic organisation, social behaviour, modes of disseminating education and healthcare, that would emerge in the post-COVID world, and the associated technological challenges that would need to be addressed. He said that India would be happy to contribute to such an analytical exercise, based on its own experiences.”