'I get 10,000 friend requests everyday. It gets so irritating.'

To this, Minister of State for Communication and IT Sachin Pilot, who shared the dais with the Microsoft co-founder, asked jokingly: 'How many Bill Gates are there on Facebook?'

Gates is in India to receive the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development on behalf of his Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, being recognised for 'pioneering and exemplary philanthropic work around the world and in India in health'.