In September 2019, Bill Gates presented Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with an award from the Gates Foundation for his efforts in improving sanitation in India. This presentation was met with strong criticism, particularly from three Nobel Peace Prize laureates who argued that Modi did not deserve recognition due to the erosion of democratic and human rights under his rule. The award.Y did not deter Gates nor Modi, who have cultivated a warm and high-profile relationship over the past decade. They have met multiple times, with Gates praising Modi and, in a move aimed at furthering Modi’s image as a technologically savvy leader, sitting down with him for a televised exchange ahead of a national election.

The relationship is mutually beneficial for both men. Gates is set to visit India for the third time in three years, where he will discuss innovation and development. India is crucial to Gates’s philanthropic work, making it vital for the Gates Foundation to maintain good relations with a government that has cracked down on foreign donor-backed organizations due to widespread poverty in the country. India’s government similarly benefits from Gates’s endorsement, linking the Gates technological legacy to the Modi government’s digital economy policy. This partnership has been supported by investments from Microsoft and direct praise from Gates. Although some employees of the foundation were uncomfortable with Gates’s full endorsement of Modi, the relationship stands, with both men praising each other and the foundation continuing to work with the Indian government on health, education, and climate change initiatives.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/17/world/asia/india-bill-gates-narendra-modi.html