Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh) [India], March 21 (ANI): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday visited the Tirumala Lord Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple to offer prayers on the occasion of his grandson Devaansh's birthday.

Chief Minister Naidu was accompanied by his entire family, which included his wife, Bhuvaneswari, son and Andhra's IT Minister, Nara Lokesh, daughter-in-law Brahmani, and grandson, Devaansh.

They are expected to host an Annaprasadam (food distribution) program for the day, the expenses of which will be borne from the chief minister's personal funds.

Earlier, certain reports in the local media claimed that the funds for this Annaprasadam would come from the state exchequer.

However, sources close to the family have denied this and said that this is Nara Devaansh's (the grandson of CM Naidu) 10th birthday, and the family has been following this tradition for the last ten years.

Chandrababu Naidu's family has been offering Annaprasadam on the occasion of his grandson's birthday for the last 10 years.

Meanwhile, earlier, the Andhra Pradesh government and the Gates Foundation signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Wednesday. The MoU aims to leverage technology for public welfare by integrating cost-effective and scalable solutions across key sectors of Healthcare, MedTech, Education, and Agriculture.

The signing happened in the presence of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Bill Gates, Chair of the Gates Foundation, who is currently visiting India.

As per a release, the MoU formalizes a strategic collaboration in which the Gates Foundation will provide support to implementation partners, co-identified with the Government of Andhra Pradesh, for targeted interventions within state-driven programs.

The Chief Minister discussed with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates how the Gates Foundation and the Andhra Pradesh government can collaborate.

Commenting on the Chief Minister's vision to position Andhra Pradesh as a leader in development through data-driven innovation, Bill Gates said, 'I'm encouraged by the potential of our partnership - especially in providing cost-effective, locally produced diagnostics and medical devices to improve the lives of vulnerable populations'

'By using AI and technology solutions to address key areas such as health, agriculture, and foundational learning, we can also provide examples for other regions in India and beyond to replicate,' he added. (ANI)