Hindus have applauded United Nations (UN) General Assembly for declaring safe and clean drinking water as a human right.

Calling it a "step in the right direction", Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, urged all the countries to urgently step-up projects and attempt to overcome all the challenges to provide safe-clean-accessible-affordable drinking water to all the human beings.

Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, said that it was a sin for the humanity to watch its fellow brothers/sisters deprived of this basic need for centuries. It was long overdue as water was an integral part of life. According to reports, about 900 million people were without access to safe drinking water and lack of access to water killed more children annually than malaria, AIDS and measles combined.

Rajan Zed quoted from Rig-Veda, the oldest existing scripture of mankind, which said: Waters, you are the ones who bring us the life force...let the waters, who are the goddesses, help me here and now.

Founded in 1945, UN is an international organization with 192 countries as members and Ban Ki-moon as Secretary-General. Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion, has about one billion adherents and moksh (liberation) is its ultimate goal. (ANI)