Gates, Buffet to urge Indian billionaires for Philanthropy

By siliconindia   |   Tuesday, 22 March 2011, 21:22 IST   |    7 Comments
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Gates, Buffet to urge Indian billionaires for Philanthropy
New Delhi: Warren Buffet and Bill Gates, two of the world's richest men have set an example to American billionaires and have influenced them to pledge themselves for the work of philanthropy but will their magic work on the super wealthy India's rich people? India, which has about 55 Billionaires, the third largest after U.S. and China are not very well know for Philanthropic works. Last year when high-tech tycoon Azim Premji donated about $2 Billion for education of the under privileged, he was known as an exception and was called the Warren Buffet of India. Hopefully the two don't have to go empty handed. While charitable giving is widespread in the United States, it is less well established in India, where Gates and Buffet went in September on a similar mission. The duo had last year said they would seek to get fellow billionaires to commit half of their wealth to good causes as part of the "Giving Pledge". The agenda of the day would start with Buffet meeting CEOs for a two hour breakfast followed by lunch with Buffet and Gates. And finally there will have a three hour interactive session in the evening by Melinda and Bill Gates on philanthropy. We are proud to partner with India because its innovative approaches are saving and improving lives every day. Yet, despite remarkable achievements, India endures some of the greatest health and development burdens in the world," Gates added. According to the statement, the couple will also visit Bihar and meet community health workers and state officials to see first-hand the launch of a five-year, $80 Million grant made in partnership with the state government. "India has done a great job prioritizing maternal and child health through the National Rural Health Mission, and we hope our partnership with the government of Bihar will help to accelerate progress," said Gates.