Sanitation is worship for me, it is a service to the poor: PM Modi

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday sanitation is worship for him as it is a way to serve the poor people of the country.

Addressing a public gathering on the second day of his Varanasi visit, he said it was his good fortune to lay the foundation stone of a public toilet in Shahanshahpur village of his Lok Sabha constituency.

"Swachhata is a Puja for me. Cleanliness is a way to serve the poor of India. It will rid the poor of my country of various diseases and the economic burden due to those diseases that result from dirty surroundings," PM Modi said.



He said that while no one likes garbage, everyone in India shies away from the responsibility of keeping their surroundings clean.

"It is the responsibility of every citizen and every family to keep their surroundings clean so we are able to build clean villages, clean cities and a clean nation," PM Modi said.



Praising villagers where he went to lay the foundation of a toilet for naming it as "Izzatghar", PM Modi said, "I liked this word so much. Where there is Izzatghar, there is honour of our mothers and sisters. In the days to come those who are concerned about their honour, will construct more Izzatghar."

He also said the people of the village had been determined to make it open defecation free.