Indore: Praising the Bohra community for their contribution in the country's development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that it is India's power of co-existence that makes world aware if its power.

Addressing a religious congregation of the Dawoodi Bohra community in Indore, PM Modi recalled an encounter with sect head Dr Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin at an airport.

"I met Syedna sahib at an airport and had a small conversation with him regarding the shortage of water in Gujarat and spoke to him about building check dams. Just after this brief discussion, he went back and made several check dams and helped many villages fight water scarcity," he said.

PM Modi shared another experience when Saifuddin 'helped Gujarat fight malnutrition'. "It's a coincidence that the nation is observing nutrition month when the community is organising this religious event," he said, adding that the Bohra community has successfully imbibed and propagated the sacred message of Imam Hussain.

Lauding the community for its social work, including community kitchen, charitable hospitals and others, the prime minister mentioned his government’s welfare schemes meant for mother and infant nutrition, Ayushman Bharat healthcare scheme and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

Claiming that the mission has become a people's movement in last four years, PM Modi claimed that barely 40% households had toilets when he came to power and now the number of households with toilets has risen to 90%.

He also appreciated the community's move of linking the 'Ashara Mubaraka' event with message of environment conservation and cleanliness. The event, PM Modi said, has banned plastic bags and is being carried out with zero waste motto. For doing so, ten tonnes of waste is recycled everyday and the compost produced in the process is given free of cost to farmers.

Urging the cleanliness ambassadors of the country to derive inspiration from this waste to energy concept of the congregation, the prime minister announced commencement of 'Swachhta Hi Seva' fortnight from September 15.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday became the first prime minister to address a religious congregation of the Dawoodi Bohras. He shared the stage with the sect head on Ashara Mubaraka, which is a gathering organised every year to commemorate Prophet Mohammad and the martyrdom of his grandson Imam Husain.

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan lauded Bohra community’s contribution in social endeavors, including women empowerment, community business model that seeks to help members, contribution in Narmada plantation drive and Indore’s feat of being adjudged as the cleanest city of India.

For the event, the state government had beefed up security by installing CCTV cameras at the venue. The city was made a no-fly zone for a day and 3,500 police personnel were deployed.

DIG Police Harinarayanchari Mishra had told News18 that the venue is under tight vigil and a four-layered security cover had been devised for the PM’s visit. "Anyone visiting the venue were only allowed inside after passing through these layers," he said.