Bill Gates praises Narendra Modi's toilet campaign

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is all praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's emphasis on building more toilets in the country.

Gates on Monday posted on his blog that "this is not the kind of issue that most politicians like to talk about. But I would guess that in the short time he has been in office, Prime Minister Modi has done more to raise the awareness of the need for toilets than any other leader since the country gained independence".

On Tuesday, Gates again appreciated Modi's efforts to bring sanitation into focus. "Narendra Modi has India talking about toilets and that's a great thing," Gates said in a tweet which was retweeted by Modi.

Gates further blogged, "It may seem surprising when you think about all the innovation coming out of India, but 630 million people there defecate in the open because they don't have access to a commode. Worldwide, the number is 2.5 billion people."

Gates wrote about his meeting with Modi in New Delhi last month, when he and his wife Melinda focussed on toilets, vaccines, bank accounts and health clinics in their more-than-an-hour long discussions.

"Creating good sanitation options for people-a safe place to poop-is a big focus of our foundation. So, when Melinda and I met the Prime Minister in New Delhi last month, toilets were high on the agenda, along with vaccines, bank accounts, and health clinics.

We came away impressed by his commitment to fighting poverty and improving health for India's poorest people." Gates added,

"This is an exciting time, not just for India, but for everyone who cares about giving the poorest people a chance to lead healthy, productive lives. With all the attention and innovation going on in these areas from health to financial services, we have a fantastic opportunity to make an impact. Its inspiring to see India moving to the forefront of these efforts."

Gates said that Modi has "pledged to cut through red tape, stamp out corruption, revive the economy and restore pride." But "he has also been quite outspoken on a subject you hear much less about: open defecation," the US billionaire further stated.