I have not learnt poverty from books, sold tea on railway platform: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Tuesday said that he is not from a 'political family' but carries a very humble background and selling tea on the railway platform was a part of his life journey.

"My background is not that of any big political family. I have not learnt about poverty from the books but I have lived it. I have reached here by selling tea on the railway platform," said Prime Minister Modi during the question-answer session at the Future Investment Initiative (FII).

"In a few years, India will be successful in eradicating poverty. My fight against poverty is by empowering poor. Poor need dignity. When a poor person says that he will himself end his poverty, then there is no greater satisfaction. All we need is to provide him with dignity and empower him," said Modi.

He said that constructing toilets and opening bank accounts have empowered the poor in India and have given them a sense of dignity.

The Prime Minister said that when there is a change in India, then the figures in the whole world change.

"It gives me immense satisfaction to see that a change in India brings the change in figures for the world. When we make India open-defecation-free (ODF) or eradicate poverty, then the figures of the world change. It gives the satisfaction that we are contributing to improving the world," said he.

Prime Minister Modi was responding when asked about his government's schemes of building toilets and other popular programmes for citizens of India.