Amaravati, 17 February: Andhra Pradesh officials discussed expanding technology-based public services during the visit of Microsoft founder Bill Gates to the State Secretariat in Amaravati on Monday.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu received Gates and introduced him to members of the council of ministers. Gates also interacted with IT Minister Nara Lokesh, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan and senior officials as part of discussions on development initiatives.
According to officials, the meeting centred on the use of technology in governance, including health systems, agriculture and education. The state government expressed interest in scaling welfare programmes with support from the Gates Foundation, particularly in public health.
Authorities highlighted ongoing health interventions in Kuppam and explored possibilities of expanding them across the state. Discussions also covered the use of artificial intelligence in administration and service delivery.
Gates was scheduled to review the Real Time Governance System to observe technology-enabled monitoring and response mechanisms. The chief minister also planned to present the Swarna Andhra 2047 development vision and digital health initiatives such as electronic health records.
Later, the delegation was to visit Undavalli village near Amaravati to observe the use of drones and data-driven practices in agriculture.
Officials stated the visit followed an invitation from the state government to strengthen collaboration in scalable welfare and governance solutions.
