Maharashtra CM Fadnavis meets Bill Gates, discusses use of AI in agriculture

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday met Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates and discussed potential uses of Artificial Intelligence AI in governance officials saidThe meeting took place at the government guest house Sahyadri in Mumbai said a statement from the Chief Ministers OfficeThe two discussed possible uses of AI in healthcare agriculture and infrastructure it saidSenior CMO officials and officials from the Gates Foundation were also present at the meetingGates currently on a visit to the country met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Union ministers in Delhi earlier this weekBill Gates tries his hand at pesticide sprayer made by startup to ease farmers woesMicrosoft cofounder Bill Gates has tried his hand at a new pesticide sprayer made by a startup in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar creating a more handy and efficient option for farmers to help them safely cover more crops at a timeThe sprayer has been designed by local engineer Yogesh Gawande who formed a company in 2019 to manufacture the product in Maharashtras Chhatrapati SambhajinagarThe company has so far sold more than 5000 sprayer units and generated 100plus direct and indirect job opportunities as per GawandeBill Gates tried his hand at operating the sprayer at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute IARI in New Delhi on March 17 in the presence of GawandeI first made the sprayer as part of a project during my engineering course Gawande said a press meet held at the Marathwada Accelerator for Growth and Incubation Council MAGIC office here on WednesdayWith this sprayer farmers do not need to carry heavy chemical tanks on their back for spraying pesticides They can now spray chemicals over four rows of crops at the same time with this innovative device which is operated on wheels he saidThe height of the sprayers nozzles can be adjusted till 1214 feet to cover large trees The pressure of nozzles is adjustable and hence the crop is not damaged due to the pressure Gawande saidI had earlier tried to sell this sprayer on a highway near Chittepimpalgaon Gawandes native village at Paithan in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Subsequently I dropped the idea to manufacture it further because though the product was applauded it could not be converted into a business he saidGawande said he later received help from MAGIC following which he started his companyI have a unit now and the sprayer is sold in 22 Indian states We have also started getting orders from African countries like Kenya and Namibia he saidI am connected to the Gates Foundation As Bill Gates came to India my product was selected to be presented before him He gave 57 minutes to us and also tried his hand at the sprayer He asked multiple questions on the sprayers functioning like a farmer Gawande saidMAGIC directors Prasad Kokil and Ashish Garde said it was a proud moment for their organisation and the city as products from here were being recognised globallyWith inputs from Agencies