Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a rare honour. He was given the ‘Global Goal Keeper’ award by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This was for Modi’s exemplary leadership in leading India in the Swaccha Bharat sanitation awareness programme. Modi received the award from the hands of Microsoft Founder Bill Gates at a function in New York.
In his acceptance speech, Modi said that the honour would go to all Indian citizens who actively took part and made it a big success. The Prime Minister expressed special thanks to the women for their cooperation in this historic cleanliness movement. In the last 5 years, 11 Cr individual toilets were constructed all over India as part of Swaccha Bharat.
Modi said that the award was personally prestigious for him as he got this honour in the 150th birthday celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi. He asserted that greater efforts would be made in future to build and shape India that Gandhiji dreamt of.
