NEW DELHI – Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg on Friday met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. who was impressed by the young man who connected the world in an ingenious way.
The Facebook founder shed the casual attire he is usually seen in — jeans, t-shirt and sneakers, (hoodie optional) — and wore a dark suit for his meeting with the Prime Minister.
Soon after the meeting, Modi tweeted, “It was wonderful meeting Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. We discussed a wide range of issues.”
On his first visit to India, Zuckerberg on Thursday met telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to discuss expanding reach of internet including by using alternate technology.
“Connecting more than a billion people with internet is not only going to improve lives of people in India but helping innovation and imagination of Indian people will help turn around the world and we are very excited in opportunities in India,” Zuckerberg said after his meeting with the telecom minister.
“About 2.7 billion people have access to the internet. But that’s only one-third of humanity. Almost 4.5 billion people don’t use the internet,” pointed out Zuckerberg, in Delhi on a two-day visit to India. “Connectivity cannot just be a privilege of the rich and powerful. It is a human right.”
Zuckerberg had earlier said he was looking forward to meeting PM Narendra Modi. “I know that he has launched the Digital India initiative and we’re very excited about it. India has thousands of villages that don’t have access to a mobile network and Mr Modi is committed to bringing them online. I will spend a lot of time listening and learning about what we can do to help,” he said.
