The Hindu Business Line : Health insurance scheme: Karnataka CM seeks grant from Gates Foundation

THE Karnataka Chief Minister, Mr N. Dharam Singh, sought assistance from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to expand the low-cost health insurance scheme, Yeshasvini.

Commending the foundation for its grants to India for AIDS prevention and other health schemes, Mr Dharam Singh appealed to the Microsoft Chairman, Mr Bill Gates,to extend grants for the insurance scheme.

He said the Government had embarked on a Rs 642-crore health reforms project to improve the primary health infrastructure at the village level.

He was speaking at the inauguration function of the new Microsoft facility here on Friday. The Chief Minister also said that the Government was formulating a policy to promote IT hardware parks to encourage the electronics industry. A hardware park has been planned near the new Bangalore Airport coming up in Devanahalli.

Mr Gates, who inaugurated the new Microsoft facility here, said it would help in consolidating its operations for easier coordination to realise the company's vision to provide relevant technology for the people across the globe.

The Bangalore centre would house Microsoft's global Customer Service and Support organisation as well the product and services marketing teams of Microsoft India.

He commended the Karnataka Government for the support given to Microsoft and said the partnership developed with the developers and IT community held great promise for fulfilling vision to eliminate the digital divide in the world.

He hoped that the Microsoft research and development centre in Bangalore would strengthen partnerships with universities in bringing out new products that would be relevant to the users of computers.

Mr H.D. Deve Gowda, former Prime Minister and President of Janata Dal (S), said efforts should be focused on an equitable and sustainable model to transform India into a developed country.

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