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On his arrival at the George Bush Intercontinental airport here on Saturday for the “Howdy, Modi” community event, the prime minister was presented with a bouquet of flowers by an American dignitary, receiving him along with US Ambassador to India Kenneth Juster, Indian Ambassador to the US Harsh Vardhan Shringla and other senior officials.
A flower fell off the bouquet and to everyone’s surprise, Modi bent down and picked it up himself.
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He will be recognised for “the progress India is making in improving sanitation, as part of its drive toward achievement of the UN sustainable development goals”, according to the Gates Foundation, which has pointed out that globally, sanitation-related diseases kill nearly five lakh children annually.
Over 10 crore toilets have been built in India since the launch of the Swachh Bharat programme on October 2, 2014.
“The Swachh Bharat Mission can serve as a model for other countries around the world that urgently need to improve access to sanitation for the world’s poorest,” a source said.