Bill Gates Sr meets devadasis

October 1, 2004

Friday October 1 2004 11:43 IST

BIJAPUR: Bill Gates Sr and his wife Mimi Gardener Gates were on a

unannounced visit to the City on Thursday along with officials of the

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for an on-the-spot inspection of

activities regarding the prevention of HIV and AIDS in the district.

Travelling by a chartered plane to Sholapur, the team arrived in the

morning and went to Kakhandki village, 20 km from here, to make an

on-the-spot study of the condition of traditional sex workers

devadasis. They reportedly discussed health-related problems and their

social conditions. Migration of sex workers from the district to big

cities like Mumbai, Pune and Panjim and safe sex were some of the

problems raised during the Gates visit to the village.

The Foundation has provided Rs.75 crore to the Karnataka Health

Promotion Trust (KHPT) for the prevention of HIV and AIDS in the State

and around 16 districts have been selected for the programme's

implementation. KHPT officials said the district would be provided

assistance of about Rs.30 crore.

They said that Foundation was providing an assistance of Rs. 1,000 crore.

Later, a meeting was held here to discuss the severity and causes of

HIV and AIDS in the district. MLAs MB Patil and Appu Pattanashetti,

Deputy Commissioner Mohmmed Mohsin, Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive

Officer Nagaraj Hampole and DHO Hunasikatti were present.

The Gates Foundation had made its own security arrangement and even

police were not allowed to escort them. The Foundation team comprised

six members including Helene Gayle, Foundation official and Ashok

andar, country representative for the Foundation.

Local leaders said that poverty on the one hand and new money power

encouraged prostitution and added that it was not restricted to

devadasis only but had invaded higher middle class women and college

girls who also worked as call girls. They said that steps should be

taken to prevent such developments.

But they pointed out that the Gates Foundation was not part of any

rehabilitation of sex workers. The focus of the Gates Foundation was

to prevent HIV and AIDS.

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