Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been conferred with the Goalkeepers Global Goals Award 2019 for his government’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan (Clean India Mission) program.
Clean India Mission seeks to improve lives of people in India by building toilets for poor and eliminating open defecation and aims to contribute to India reaching Sustainable Development Goal 6, (SDG 6) which calls for clean water and sanitation for all people.
PM Modi was presented the award by Microsoft founder Bill Gates at a ceremony on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting in the New York City.
“This award recognizes the progress India has made in providing safe sanitation under his leadership,” the Gates Foundation said.
"Gandhi ji's dream for swachhata (cleanliness) is now becoming true," PM Modi said.
"The World Health Organisation has reported that three lakh people have been saved (from diseases) by the campaign... Such as campaign was never heard of," he said.
"Getting the award in the year of Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary is personally significant for me. When 130 crore people take a pledge, any challenge can be overcome," he said.
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s decision to award the Indian Prime Minister met with scathing opposition from many including British actors Jameela Jamil and Riz Ahmed and three Nobel Peace Prize winners – Shirin Ebadi, Tawakkol Abdel-Salam Karman and Mairead Maguire who co-signed a protest letter addressed to Bill and Melinda Gates.
Over 100,000 people signed a petition that said ‘Narendra Modi does not deserve it, and to have awarded him is beneath the dignity and moral stature of your Foundation.’
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