Bill Gates lauds Modi for bringing sanitation issue in focus

Says building toilets is important but adds bigger challenge is to change the attitude of the people

Praising the attention that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was bringing to the issue of sanitation, philanthropist Bill Gates today said that building toilets was only the beginning. He said the bigger challenge was changing the behaviour of the people.

 

Speaking on the sidelines of his meeting with Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday, the billionaire philanthropist said, "The key topics that we'll work together on were sanitation, we agree that is super important. The attention that the minister and the Prime Minister are bringing to that topic is fantastic. Rural development and building toilets is only the beginning, getting the behaviours to change is a big challenge."

 

Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari also said that the two discussed ideas for poor people and rural areas. He added that Gates' Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was very helpful towards the nation.

 

Gates is also scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi later today.

 

He had met Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in New Delhi on Thursday.

 

Gates also attended the inauguration ceremony of the Indian Newborn Action Plan (INAP) by Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Thursday and praised the latter for his pioneering work in polio eradication.

 

"There are lessons to be learnt from India's fight against polio which may be applied against other diseases also," he pointed out.

 

The philanthropist had lauded the government for expanding the list of diseases under the Universal Immunisation Programme.