‘TB-free India’ drive starts today in D’sala

DHARAMSALA: The TBfree India campaign to eradicate the disease from India by 2025 will be launched at a national level summit to be held in Dharamsala tomorrow

Updated At : 06:06 AM Apr 08, 2017 IST

Bollywood actors Sohail Khan, Bobby Deol (L), Sunil Shetty and Sonu Sood (R), HPCA president Anurag Thakur and Union Minister Shah Nawaz Hussain at a press conference in Dharamsala on Friday. Photo: Kamaljeet

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, April 7

The “TB-free India” campaign to eradicate the disease from India by 2025 will be launched at a national level summit to be held in Dharamsala tomorrow. Addressing mediapersons here today BJP MP Anurag Thakur said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would personally review the progress of the Rs 2,000 crore campaign. The drive would spread awareness regarding TB, provide free drugs and monitor the patients, he said. Bollywood celebrities Sohail Khan, Bobby Deol, Sunil Shetty and Sony Sood were also present at the press meet.

AK Jha, Economic Advisor, Union Ministry of Health, said the summit was being jointly hosted by the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) and the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union). The campaign would be implemented under the stewardship of the Central TB Division, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. The Summit is supported by Challenge TB, the flagship TB control programme of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Global Fund and the WHO.

Bollywood actor Sunil Shetty said that maximum number of TB patients were in Mumbai. Actor Bobby Deol said he was proud to be part of the campaign. — TNS