Indian Prime Minister Modi picks up trash from beach

MAMALLAPURAM, India – As part of his cleanliness drive, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has picked up trash from a beach in the southern temple town where he hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Modi released a short video on Twitter showing him walking barefoot in the sand, collecting the trash in a bag on Saturday morning in Mamallapuram in Tamil Nadu state.

He tweeted, “Let us ensure our public places are clean and tidy.”

Modi launched a “Clean India” campaign after he became prime minister in 2014.

In a radio talk last month, Modi lauded the efforts of an Indian “plogger,” Ripudaman Belvi, who launched a campaign to pick up litter while jogging.

Modi said that “plogging” is popular in foreign countries, and praised Belvi for promoting it in India.