Microsoft founder Bill Gates met Prime Minister Modi on Wednesday and congratulated him for his bold move to demonetise Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes.
Gates felt that this move will help boost Indian economy by moving away from a shallow economical system to a transparent one and help fight the black money menace.
Gates hailed the government’s move to demonetise high value denominations while addressing NITI Aayog’s ‘Transforming India’ event.
Gates also praised other initiatives by the government like the ‘Swatch Bharat Abhiyaan’ and ‘Digital India’.
Digital transactions will rise dramatically here. In next several years, India will become the most digitised economy, not just by size but by percentages.Bill Gates
He also said that the Indian government was trying to do what had never been done before and congratulated the government on its efforts. During the lecture, Gates was scheduled to meet India’s top policy makers as part of the ‘Transforming India’ series.
The motive behind inviting Gates for the event was reportedly to increase the use of technology in the government’s policies to build a stronger economy and wipe out black money. Even though the public thronged banks and ATMs after demonetisation to get their hands on the new Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 notes, this move has also proved to be a windfall for digital transactions.
Following are some excerpts from Gates’ speech at the NITI Aayog event:
- Technology is the key lever for transformation and strong innovation is needed in the ecosystem to build future products
- In any country, the government should be a smart regulator and enable the private sector to deliver efficient services
- The world is looking at our country to not only solve problems but address the global challenges through innovation
(With inputs from The Financial Express, One India.)
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