Bill Gates meets Bihar CM Nitish Kumar in Patna, lauds govt efforts to fight poverty

Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates on Sunday, November 17, met Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and praised his government for progress in fighting poverty and disease in the last 20 years, saying only a few places have been able to surpass the achievements made by the state. Along with Nitish Kumar, deputy  CM Sushil Kumar Modi was also present at the meeting that took place at the Chief Minister's Secretariat in Patna.

As per reports, Nitish Kumar  reiterated his commitment and said,

"The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is committed for the continued partnership to find solutions to the state’s critical health and development goals."

It was also reported that the two discussed prioritisation of structural reforms in the health sector with a need to strengthen primary health care. Gates said that the probability of an infant now born in Bihar reaching its fifth birthday is more than double that of two decades ago. He said that we have to ensure that all children are healthy and able to get a good education. He further said that his foundation is committed to working with the state government to achieve this goal.

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An official release also highlighted the decisive actions made by the Bihar government towards reforming the state health system through the creation of a Public Health Management Cadre for delivering good quality clinical care and bringing more administrative and management capacity into public health. Gates was further informed about the chief minister's flagship program 'Jal-Jivan-Hariyali', an inter-departmental effort to combat the effects of climate change. 

The Jal Jeevan Mission initiated by the Government promotes people to recycle water in their house, societies and even cities. This will in turn help in promoting building and using more toilets. The government has decided to spend 3.5 lakh crores on the Jal Jeevan Mission.

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