Narendra Modi pitches for toilets and cleanliness in India at Allphones Arena in Sydney

Sydney: Reaching out to the Indian Diaspora at the Allphones Arena in Sydney, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday pitched for a clean and developed India and invited Australian-Indians to build toilets at their place of origin.

"If we take up the challenge then the bad image of India can also be cleaned up. I invite you all to contribute to the movement in any way you can. Illness is a big burden on the poor. There is no greater service to the poor than focusing on cleanliness," Prime Minister Modi said amid chants of his name.

He also pointed out that the 'Jan Dhan Yojana' launched by his government was a commitment to integrate the poor in India's development journey.

"Spoke to Reserve Bank about 'Jan Dhan Yojana' who said it will take three years. I said I want this done in 150 days. 71 million bank accounts have already been opened in the last 10 weeks. People responded to 'Jan Dhan Yojana', deposited money to be part of the movement. Same people, same departments...did the work happen or not?" he asked.

The Prime Minister also pitched 'Make in India' as an initiative to create jobs for the youth who can then contribute to the world.

"We have started the 'Make in India' programme for job creation for our youth, who can contribute to the world. Whenever someone wants to invest in a country, the investors need to be given high quality of life. That is what 'Make in India' aims to do," Prime Minister Modi pointed out.

He also recalled that when his administration wanted the Japanese investment in Gujarat, they were told that the Japanese won't come without a golf course.

"So, the government decided to create a golf course," he said.

Prime Minister Modi further said that his government had opted for 100 percent FDI in railways in India, which gave a huge market and window for improvement.

"With a lot of courage, we opted for 100 percent FDI in railways in India. We have such a huge market and window for improvement," he added.

The Prime Minister also praised the power of youth.

"Mother India has got 2,500 million arms of which 2000 million arms are of young people. They have dreams, they are full of energy, they have the capacity to etch things in stone," he said.

The Prime Minister also used the occasion to lay emphasis on the importance of skill development.

"It may take five years or 10 years, but skill development should be a constant concern. Youth needs to be developed," he pointed out.

Prime Minister Modi also made a huge pitch for the nation's development, saying he saw no reason why India should stay behind.