New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday interacted with philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and discussed the global response to COVID-19, and the importance of global coordination on scientific innovation to combat the pandemic.
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. 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.
PM Modi also highlighted how some of the previous developmental initiatives taken by Government – expanding financial inclusion, strengthening last mile delivery of health services, popularising cleanliness and hygiene through the Swachh Bharat Mission, drawing upon India’s Ayurvedic wisdom to enhance people’s immunity, etc – had helped increase the effectiveness of India’s response to the present pandemic.
Prime Minister appreciated the health related work being done by the Gates Foundation not only in India but also in many other parts of the world, including for coordinating global response to COVID-19.
He sought suggestions from Gates on how India’s capacities and capabilities could be better leveraged for the general benefit of the world.
Prime Minister 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.
Had an extensive interaction with @BillGates. We discussed issues ranging from India’s efforts to fight Coronavirus, work of the @gatesfoundation in battling COVID-19, role of technology, innovation and producing a vaccine to cure the pandemic. https://t.co/UlxEq72i3L
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 14, 2020
(PIB)
