Bill Gates, Microsoft co-founder and the founder and co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, on Wednesday met Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik at Naveen Nivas.

He discussed various issues relating to the welfare of farmers, development initiatives taken by the government for farmers and the use of AI for them.

Gates also visited Krushi Bhavan — the headquarters of the department of agriculture & farmers’ empowerment — the Mission Shakti Bazar run by women and also a slum. At the bazar, Gates purchased Kandhamal Haldi (turmeric) and a few other products. He also visited the Krushi Samiksha Kendra — India’s first centralised monitoring system in agriculture.

The Odisha government has been partnering with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation since 2017 to forward shared goals of improving farmers’ income, nutrition security and climate resilience in the state.

“This partnership has allowed the state to emerge as a leader in Digital Public Infrastructure, with the government launching key farmer-facing systems including the Krushak Odisha database, GO-SUGAM portal, and Ama Krushi extension system,” a release said.

During his visit to the state, Gates was honoured with the highest award of KIIT and KISS fraternity — the KISS Humanitarian Award for 2023 for his philanthropic work.

KIIT, KISS & KIMS founder Achyuta Samanta said: “Awarding Bill Gates with the KISS Humanitarian Award not only honours his exceptional contributions but also elevates the prestige of this recognition. His acceptance sets a new benchmark for humanitarian work globally. It is a profound honour for us that Bill Gates is joining the esteemed roster of our awardees.”