Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s gesture to pick up a fallen flower on arrival at the Houston airport earns him praises.
On his arrival at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport on Saturday for the “Howdy, Modi” community event, the PM was presented with a bouquet of flowers by an American dignitary, receiving him along with U.S. Ambassador to India Kenneth Juster, Indian Ambassador to the U.S. Harsh Vardhan Shringla and other senior officials.
A flower fell off the bouquet and to everyone’s surprise, Mr. Modi bent down and picked it up himself.
The PM will be awarded the “Global Goalkeepers Award” at the Lincoln Centre by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for leadership in the field of sanitation through the “Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.”
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.
“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.
