Aga Khan meets President, PM

New Delhi, April 8 (IANS) President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday praised the Aga Khan for the work done by his foundation towards sanitation, heritage conservation and rural development.

India appreciates the valuable contribution of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) in restoration and heritage conservation, Mukherjee said after Prince Karim Aga Khan called on him at the Rashtrapati Bhawan, an official release said here.

Karim Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of the Ismaili sect of Shia Muslims, would be conferred India’s second highest civil honour, the Padma Vibhushan by the president on Wednesday.

Mukherjee congratulated Prince Karim on the award and said this reflects the admiration and respect India has for him and for the valuable public service being done by the AKDN.

The president said India appreciates the valuable contribution of his foundation in restoration and heritage conservation.

India has been inspired by the intelligent manner in which restoration and heritage conservation has been married with the goal of reviving traditional crafts, employment creation, education, improving health and urban renewal in the Humayun’s Tomb project, he said.

India intends to study the model carefully and see how it can be applied to other programmes, Mukherjee added.

The Aga Khan also called on Modi, who also praised the work of the Aga Khan Foundation, especially in the areas of rural development and sanitation, which, he said, he had the opportunity to witness first-hand when he was chief minister of Gujarat.

Modi called upon the Aga Khan Foundation to play a key role in the ‘Swachh Bharat’ and ‘Ganga Rejuvenation’ initiatives. He also sought the foundation’s participation in building toilets for girl children.

The Aga Khan said he was honoured to be receiving the Padma Vibhushan. He said the Aga Khan Foundation was already undertaking the task of construction of one lakh toilets, beginning with the state of Gujarat.

Modi and the Aga Khan also discussed the current situation in West Asia.