Bindeshwar Pathak selected for humanitarian award in US

Washington: Indian social activist and the founder of ‘Sulabh International’, Bindeshwar Pathak has been selected for a prestigious humanitarian award in recognition of his effort to enhance quality of life for millions of fellow human beings.

New York Global Leaders Dialogue Humanitarian Award will be presented to Pathak at the 2016 leadership dinner April 12 in New York.

“Dr Pathak is a great humanitarian who for decades has enhanced the quality of life for millions of fellow human beings. He embodies our philosophy of leadership, namely, that leadership is focused on creating collaborative new space in the service of others,” New York Global Leaders Dialogue said in a statement said.

“We are especially attracted to leaders who transform lives for the better, and Dr Pathak stands tall in embodying these rarest of qualities,” it said.

Pathak established Sulabh International — a social and behaviour change coalition — to promote the adoption of improved hygiene practices across the country.

Sulabh, which engages nearly 50,000 people, has constructed nearly 1.3 million household toilets and 54 million government toilets based on an innovative design.

Nearly 15 million people use these toilets daily.

Apart from the construction of toilets, the organisation is leading a movement to discourage manual cleaning of human waste.