Bill Gates lauds Narendra Modi for talking about toilets

New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done more than any other leader since Indias independence to create awareness about the need for toilets Microsoft founder Bill Gates said TuesdayIt 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 dont have access to a commode Worldwide the number is 25 billion people Gates said in his blog which he also tweeted and tagged Modi Modi later retweeted Bill Gates tweetNarendra Modi and Bill GatesPraising Modi the philanthropist said 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 Modi has done more to raise the awareness of the need for toilets than any other leader since the country gained independenceGates quoted the New York Times that described Modi before his trip to the US as the prime minister who had pledged to cut through red tape stamp out corruption revive Indias economy and restore prideBut Gates said the Indian prime minister who took charge in May has also been quite outspoken on a subject you hear much less about open defecationModi has India talking about toilets and thats a great thing said Gates who had met Modi Sep 19 during his India visit Gates also posted his photograph with ModiCreating 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 Indias poorest people said the founder of the The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in his blog dated Oct 6 titled Impressions of IndiaThis was the third time Melinda and I had visited India together we had each made several visits on our own too It was an especially busy time there President Xi Jinping of China was also visiting and the government was responding to the deadly floods in Jammu and Kashmir he saidBut he said Modi and he ended up talking for more than an hourJudging from our time there it sounds like hes setting aggressive goals and pushing people to get them done quickly Hes having a lot of intense meetings with various ministers asking them What can you do in 100 days Can you make your goals more concrete More ambitiousWe may have spent more time talking about sanitation than anything else It was hardly the first time Melinda or I had discussed the topic in India but usually we were the ones to bring it up This time the prime minister did He made it clear that he is frustrated with the slow pace of improvementGates said Modi wants to end open defecation by 2019 and discussed installing toilets in bus and rail stations in the countrys 500 biggest townsI talked about the opportunity to design 21st century toilets that dont need big sewage systems and water treatment plants he said adding that his foundation has cohosted two Reinvent the Toilet fairs including one in New DelhiSome of the potential new designs take human waste and use it to create energy fertilizer or even drinkable water he saidGates however said that the talks were not just limited to toiletsWe also discussed several other priorities of the prime ministers including extending banking services to every adult in the country Having a bank account is essential in building savings and escaping povertybut today fewer than half of Indians have oneHe went on to say that they talked about Indias fantastic decision to provide its homegrown rotavirus vaccine to every child as well as the prime ministers efforts to fight malnutritionwhich includes a particular focus on educating women and girls about good nutritionThis 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 added