First National Summit starts for TB free India by 2025 at Dharamshala

We play lot of cricket but this time love to join hands and beat TB together: Bobby Deol
Dharamshala, April 7, 2017: The top personalities of the Bollywood along with MP and President HPCA had a press conference at Hotel Pavilion in Dharamshala on 7th April.

Members of the Parliament would be facing the celebrity team of the Mumbai Heroes in a friendly T20 cricket match at the picturesque HPCA cricket stadium on April 8, 2017. But both the teams would be fighting for the same cause and chasing the same goal. They will pledge and lend their support to make India TB free by 2025.

Anurag Thakur said, “TB accounts for 1400 deaths daily in India, which translates into around 5 lakh deaths annually. India has 18% of world’s population but has 27% of TB patients of the world and 34% of the TB deaths in the world.”

This is the 1st TB Free India Summit being organised in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh on 7 th and 8th April where all stakeholders including Union & State Ministers, Members of Parliament, Government officials, celebrities, public health experts and organisations working in the field of TB will congregate to formulate a vision document and roadmap for a TB free India by 2025. This has been spearheaded under the leadership of three time Lok Sabha MP and former BCCI President, Anurag Thakur.

Lauding the effort of Thakur, Prime Minster of India Narendra Modi conveyed his best wishes for the summit in a letter and stressed upon more awareness and action, “Its gladdening to see stakeholders from all walks of life converge for the TB Free Summit and deliberate on a vision for a TB free India. The organisation of the ‘TB Free India’ Cricket match between MPs cutting across party lines and personalities associated with the film world is also a good way to create more awareness.”

Interestingly, Parliament for the first time discussed 'Health and Well Being' which is Goal 3 of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. This was also initiated by Anurag Thakur who first raised the issue in the Parliamentary Business Advisory Committee and began the debate for BJP in the Lok Sabha. This is another major step after the launch of the National Health Policy by the Union Government.

Speaking on the the sidelines of this TB Free India Summit in Dharamshala, Thakur said, “TB is blot on the map of India and under the able leadership of our Prime Minister we will take every possible step to fulfil his commitment of making India TB free by 2025. PM Narendra Modi has envisioned to end TB in Inida five years before the international and United Nations deadline of 2030. People from all walks of life have gathered to discuss the roadmap of eliminating TB from India. I am extremely thankful to the Union and State Ministers, Members of Parliament, international public health experts, Bollywood celebrities and government officials. I firmly believe India and my state of Himachal will take the lead in eliminating TB. I hope people will come and cheer for the teams and strengthen our resolve to eradicate TB from India by 2025.”

Speaking on this occasion, captain of celebrity team Bobby Deol, said, “We play lot of cricket matches as Mumbai Heroes, but this is a special match. We would try our best to defeat the MP team but our bigger aim would be to join hands and beat TB together. Our PM Narendra Modi Ji has taken a pledge to make India TB free by 2025 and we completely understand that he can’t do this alone. My colleagues from Bollywood would like to extend all the possible support in this mission and we will do our bit to create more awareness about the TB and how to overcome this challenge. I am thankful to Thakur for bringing on one platform to this picturesque ground and extending such warm Himachali hospitality.

The dignitaries attending and supporting the TB Free India Summit are VP Bandore (Governor Punjab), JP Nadda (Union Health Minister), Rajiv Pratap Rudy (Union Skills Minister of State), PK Dhumal (Former Chief Minister HP & Leader of Opposition), Kaul Singh Thakur (Health Minister of HP), Bibek Debroy (Member of NITI AAYOG), Mohammad Azharudin, Bobby Deol, Suniel Shetty, Sohail Khan, Aftab Shivdsani, Jimmy Shergil, Mahima Chaoudhary, Riya Sen.