Cleanliness in India has improved, says Rotary Int president

India has witnessed a major change in terms of cleanliness, Rotary International president Mark Maloney said here on Thursday.

He had been visiting India for 21 years, and the improvement was quite noticeable, he told reporters here.

"I can still remember my first visit to India in January 1998 when I stayed in a hotel near Mumbai Airport. It was not much hygienic then in the surrounding areas.

"But in the past few years there has been tremendous change in the field of cleanliness as well as transportation infrastructure and many other areas of life," Maloney said.

Rotary International is putting a special emphasis on activities in the areas of water, sanitation, basic education and literacy in the country, he said.

Maloney, who hails from Alabama in the US, is here to attend the conference of Rotary International which starts on Friday.