NATIONAL: International founder and social activist Bindeshwar Pathak, a pioneer in building public toilets, took his last breath at AIIMS New due to a cardiac arrest.

The aide said 80-year-old Bindeshwar Pathak hoisted the National Flag at the Sulabh International headquarters in the morning on the eve of Independence Day and collapsed soon after. While the aide said, Pathak breathed his last at AIIMS.

Sulabh International is a social service organization that works to promote human rights, environmental sanitation, waste management, and reforms through education.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the Sulabh International Social Service Organisation said, “Founder Sulabh Sanitation, Social Reform and Human Rights Movement, Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak is no more. He died of cardiac arrest at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.” “He was rushed to the hospital after he complained of uneasiness during Independence Day celebrations at the campus of Sulabh, Palam-Dabri Road, New Delhi,” it said.

Pathak founded Sulabh International in 1970 with a vision to eradicate open defecation and unclean public toilets. The organization’s pioneering efforts led to the development of the revolutionary Sulabh toilet: a low-cost, eco-friendly solution that has revolutionized sanitation practices across the nation.

Sulabh toilet revolutionized sanitation practices, providing millions access to clean and dignified restroom facilities.

His vision extended beyond technology, encompassing a broader mission of eradicating the stigma associated with manual scavenging and uplifting the lives of those who had long been relegated to the fringes of society.

Through his determined advocacy and innovative initiatives, Pathak successfully raised awareness about the importance of proper sanitation and hygiene, contributing significantly to disease prevention and improved public health. In India, the name Sulabh is synonymous with public restrooms.

Pathak also started the Sulabh initiative for widows, which was meant to emancipate them from all kinds of deprivations, restrictions, and humiliations. (PTI)