Lucknow, Sep 17 (PTI) Sulabh International celebrated Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 71st birthday Friday by organising cleanliness drives at 71 locations in Uttar Pradesh.

The NGO which runs a toilet network across the country performed drives in Lucknow, Varanasi, Allahabad, Agra, Kanpur, and Jhansi, among other places in Uttar Pradesh to mark the day as "Swachhta Divas", a press release issued by it said.

Also Read | Hyderabad Shocker: Youth Rapes 9-Year-Old After Taking Her to Under-Construction Site While Her Parents Were Away.

"As an NGO working in areas of sanitation and water for more than 50 years, we worked with all partners - in line with prime minister's vision - to take the ODF India to the next level for its sustainability,” Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of Sulabh Sanitation and Social Reform, who formally launched the nationwide programme virtually, said.

"We applaud Narendra Modi for providing leadership in tackling issues crucial for women and girls,” he added.

Also Read | Bihar Farmer Becomes Crorepati! Elderly Farmer in Muzaffarpur’s Singari Village Receives Rs 52 Crore in His Pension Account.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)