Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took up a broom to sweep the streets of an impoverished neighborhood of Delhi on Thursday, launching a nationwide campaign to raise awareness of cleanliness and better sanitation.
"Don't we all have a duty to clean the country?" Modi asked. To drive home his point he ordered government workers including his ministers to sweep offices and clean toilets on Thursday, a national holiday. Since taking office, Modi has repeatedly lamented the poor state of sanitation and public cleanliness in India, citing "the filthiness all around us" as an obstacle in promoting tourism.
- David Arnott
Reuters contributed to this report
