Bill And Melinda Gates To Attend Agri Hackathon In Visakhapatnam Today 

Vishakapatnam: Microsoft Corporation co-founder Bill Gates along with his wife Melinda Gates is going to attend the Agri Hackathon, a three-day agricultural summit being organized here, on Friday.

The summit is being organized by the Andhra Pradesh government in association with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Bill Gates and Melinda Foundation from Wednesday.

Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu have participated in the inaugural on Wednesday and Bill Gates and Melinda will attend today's valedictory. It is widely anticipated that Bill Gates may make an announcement of the participation of the foundation in some major project related to agriculture in Andhra Pradesh. The atmosphere is charged with expectancy as people of the state are anxiously waiting for the visit of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates to Visakhapatnam where he will spend a couple of hours.

Bill and Melinda are scheduled to participate in the agriculture hackathon from 2pm to 4pm. Bill Gates will have a one-on-one meeting with chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and deliver the keynote address on the concluding day of the agriculture hackathon.

Dalberg, a consulting company, which is monitoring his tour, has kept details of the visit secret for security reasons. The CM would seek cooperation of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation not only in the field of technology but also in other development projects. Bill Gates will stay at a reputed star hotel in the city.

According to sources, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMG Foundation) will help AP in soil testing using drone technology which will give instant results. Usually, it takes about three or four days for soil testing results. The technology of the BMGF was successful in Africa. BMGF director (agriculture), Nick Austin, will deliver keynote address. According to officials, 300 delegates, 500 farmers and experts are attending the first-ever agriculture hackathon.