Mr. Modi’s politics, rooted in Hindu nationalism, amount to “fascism plus something,” Mr. Teltumbde said at a conference in 2017.
Credit: Tauseef Mustafa/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Bill Gates’ neoliberal foundation is honoring and praising India’s far-right PM Modi, as his increasingly extreme — and also of course neoliberal — government incites violence against Dalits and Muslims, and ensures impunity when they are attacked.
Published on IndiaToday, Sept 2, 2019
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been conferred with yet another award, this time it’s by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, for the PM’s ambitious pet project, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
MoS PMO, Jitendra Singh on Monday made the announcement and said, “Another award, another moment of pride for every Indian as PM Modi’s diligent and innovative initiatives bring laurels from across the world. PM Modi to receive award from Bill Melinda Gates Foundation for Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan during his visit to US (sic)”.
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, or the Clean India Mission, was one of the first few ambitious projects that PM Modi launched in his first term at the Centre in 2014. The project was launched as an ode to Mahatma Gandhi on his birth anniversary on October 2, 2014.
Another award,another moment of pride for every Indian, as PM Modi's diligent and innovative initiatives bring laurels from across the world.
Sh @narendramodi to receive award from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for #SwachhBharatAbhiyaan during his visit to the United States. pic.twitter.com/QlsxOWS6jT— Dr Jitendra Singh (@DrJitendraSingh) September 2, 2019
The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan aimed to make India ‘Open Defecation Free’ by 2019 and it had set out with a 5-year target to build 9 crore toilets.
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is a private foundation owned by billionaire philanthropist and Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his wife Melinda Gates.
Earlier this year, Bill Gates lauded PM Modi for the mega health scheme that the Modi government had launched, the Ayushman Bharat scheme that aims to provide free healthcare to over 10 crore people.
In May 2018, Bill Gates also came out in support of the Aadhaar scheme saying the Aadhaar technology does not pose any privacy issue.
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Further reading:
The Print
Human rights activists angry with Gates Foundation award to ‘butcher of Gujarat’ Modi
Washington Post
The Gates Foundation shouldn’t give an award to Narendra Modi
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