Accompanied by state government officials, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates on 28 February paid a visit to a slum in Odisha’s Bhubaneswar and interacted with the people living there.
Gates visited the Biju Adarsh Colony in the Maa Mangla Basti and inquired about the welfare of the residents. He further interacted with the members of women self-help groups (SHG) working there, a news agency reported. PTI.
Anu Garg, the State Development Commissioner, highlighted the amenities provided to the slum dwellers, including land rights, tap water access, sanitation facilities, and electricity.
“We showed him that the slum dwellers have land rights, tap water connections, toilets and electricity supply. He expressed happiness at the transformation of the slum area into a model colony,” the news agency quoted Garg as saying.
Gates also asked the slum dwellers about the changes in their lifestyle as a result of the welfare schemes. “He asked about how we lived earlier and about our current status,” said a slum dweller.
Apart from that, the technician also met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik later in the day. Gates, who arrived here on Tuesday, discussed various initiatives of the state government with the chief minister.
“Pleasure met @Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Mr. @BillGates. Had a wonderful discussion on our farmer empowerment initiatives, several charitable initiatives like #JagaMission, #MissionShakti, #OdishaSchoolTransformation, #BSKY and health transformation,” Patnaik said. on X.
He appreciated the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for supporting innovation in extending inclusive benefits to the people.
“Thanked him for his praise for Odisha’s welfare initiatives and success in different sectors through #5T transformational governance,” he added.
Gates is slated to participate in other functions including the ‘Mukta’ scheme (localized job opportunities for the urban poor) and ‘Mission Shakti’.
During his visit, Gates visited the tech giant’s India Development Center (IDC) in Hyderabad and addressed some of India’s brightest engineering minds at the IDC, Rajiv Kumar, Managing Director, Microsoft IDC, and CVP, Experiences Devices India said during he shared Gates. “Optimism over the opportunity for an AI-powered India”.
Since 2017, the Odisha government’s Department of Agriculture and Farmer Empowerment and the Department of Fisheries and Animal Resources have partnered with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for innovation in data-driven decision-making.
With agency inputs.
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Published: 28 Feb 2024, 19:01 IST
(tagsTo Translate)Bill Gates