It is known that Bill Gates arrived in India on February 16 and met Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan and officials.
He was expected to give a keynote speech at the India AI Impact Summit on February 19 but withdrew hours earlier. The Gates Foundation said it remains committed to health and development work in India.
Now here is an update from the Minister of External Affairs as well, as mentioned by Indian Express.
According to Indian Express, the Ministry of External Affairs advised the Commerce Ministry not to hold a ministerial meeting with Microsoft cofounder and philanthropist Bill Gates during his February visit to India.
The suggestion came when the Commerce Ministry asked for its view on a Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry event planned for February 19 in New Delhi.
The event titled Curtain Raiser of FICCI at 100 was meant to celebrate the organisation’s centenary and was scheduled on the same day as a global artificial intelligence summit in the capital.
An MEA official from the Americas division said a joint appearance with the Commerce and Industry Minister was not recommended for political reasons at present.
Officials said the advice was given with approval from higher authorities and the FICCI programme was later postponed.
The caution came as Gates has faced renewed global attention over his past contacts with financier Jeffrey Epstein who had been convicted for sexual crimes involving minors years earlier and later died in custody after his 2019 arrest in prison.
