World Bank is trending on Twitter; it's good news for PM Narendra Modi

New Delhi: Many of Twitter users must have been wondering why the hash tag World Bank was featured as one of the top trends on Wednesday.

World Bank has been trending on Twitter since Wednesday morning as it has approved a whopping USD 1.5 billion loan for the Narendra Modi government's ambitious Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Campaign).

It's being seen as a major boost for the PM Modi's ambitious project to ensure all citizens in rural areas have access to improved sanitation and end the practice of open defecation by 2019. 

The loan amount will be used for Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) Support Operation Project. 

As per World Bank statistics, of the 2.4 billion people who lack access to improved sanitation globally, more than 750 million live in India, with 80 per cent living in rural areas. More than 500 million of the rural population in India continue to defecate in the open, suffering from preventable deaths, illness, stunting, harassment and economic losses. 

"India has demonstrated extraordinary leadership in pursuing the ambitious SBM campaign and embracing the focus on behaviour to complement the construction of toilets," said Annette Dixon, World Bank Vice President for the South Asia Region.