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India’s ingenuity, from manufacturing safe vaccines to its Digital Public Infrastructure, is helping not just Indians but the whole world, Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates said as he flagged off the first India Day celebrations in the Seattle area.

Gates, Chairman of the Gates Foundation, flagged off the first India Day celebrations in the Greater Seattle area as the Guest of Honour of the Consulate General of India in Seattle on the occasion of the 78th Indian Independence Day.

A press release issued by the Seattle Consulate Friday said that Gates, addressing over 2,000 members of the Indian-American community at the celebration, referred to India as a “global leader with breakthrough innovations in areas like technology, agriculture and healthcare”.

Gates emphasised that “from manufacturing safe low-cost vaccines to the remarkable leadership shown by the Indian diaspora to India’s Digital Public Infrastructure—India’s ingenuity is helping not just Indians, but the whole world. Countries across the Global South are leveraging India’s experience to build their DPI systems”.

In a post on the social media site Instagram, Gates said it was “an honour” to participate in the first India Day celebrations at the Seattle Consulate alongside senior government officials and the Indian diaspora.

“India is a global leader with breakthrough innovations in areas like technology, agriculture, and healthcare that are saving and improving lives. It has been an honour to collaborate with the Indian government, philanthropists, the private sector, nonprofits, and the Indian American community. Happy Independence Day to all Indians!” he said, tagging Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in the post.

The Independence Day celebration was showcased for the first time in the Greater Seattle area all states and regions of India through floats and cultural performances celebrating the theme of Unity in Diversity. Each of the floats was put together by prominent leaders of the Indian American community and reflected some of the important aspects of India’s rich cultural heritage, the release said.