For six years, NDTV and Dettol India have been talking about and promoting the need for a clean and healthy India through Banega Swachh-Swasth India campaign. In 2019, after leading a very successful Swachhta (Cleanliness) initiative, the campaign moved the conversation from Swachh to Swasth (Health) because only a clean India can become a healthy India. Helmed by NDTV's Dr Prannoy Roy and campaign ambassador Amitabh Bachchan, the campaign over the years has talked about various issues such as making India open defecation free, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) programmes, waste management, recycling, menstrual hygiene and plight of manual scavengers, to name a few. The campaign also highlights the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children to prevent maternal and child mortality, fight malnutrition, stunting, wasting, anaemia and disease prevention through vaccines – all the components which are needed to make India a healthy country.
In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, this year, it has become imperative to revisit the core values of the campaign and restart the conversations on hygienic practices, especially hand washing and cleanliness.
In the seventh year, Banega Swasth India campaign will focus on three pillars to make the world safe and healthy – Health, Hygiene & Sanitation, and Environment.
Here are the Highlights of the #SwasthyaMantra Telethon:
That's a wrap on the #SwasthyaMantra Telethon. We will be back next year, till then stay safe, stay healthy. We leave you with this beautiful performance of Melvin and Sandeepa on the campaign anthem.
That pretty much sums up the day...
it was a pleasure to choreograph the Banega Swasth India anthem. Written by Prasoon Joshi, the song is very thought provoking: Melvin Louis Dancer, choreographer & social media influencer
As we near the end of the 12-hour #SwasthyaMantra telethon, Prasoon Joshi who penned the campaign anthem explains the essence of the words and how it captures goal of the initiative
Simple changes in the habit and daily choices can go a long way: Dia Mirza
Ramanan Laxminarayan, Founder, Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy on possibility of future outbreaks
Gaurav Jain, Senior VP, South Asia (Health), RB introduces 'return to school' kit
Musician Salim's #SwasthyaMantra"I practice
pranayam. Breathing exercises are important during 'Riyaaaz' also. I also do some physical exercises and eat healthy."
Dr Sudhir Bhandari, Principal, Sawai Mansingh Hospital, Jaipur on pandemic fatigue among people
Dr Hemant Deshmukh, Dean, KEM Hospital: The Covishield vaccine is definitely on. We have tested it on 100 people and given the vaccine to 21 people Ashutosh Raghuvanshi, CEO, Fortis Healthcare
It is important for people to understand that hospitals today are very safe for people who do not have COVID. So that people can take care. Enough measures have been taken to safely provide care to the non-COVID patient.
Dr Devi Shetty, Chairman & Founder, Narayana Health - the onus is on the people to be responsibleNow, the medical education has transformed. Any hospital with sufficient patient load can become a graduate centre. This will go a long way for medical education
I am sorry to say that we as citizens we are behaving very irresponsibly. Why should you wear masks? You wear masks to protect your and more than yourself, you protect others. Most of the people are asymptomatic carriers. They go interact with so many people. They don't realise that in the next few months, there may not be many doctor and nurses to take care of the increasing number of patients. The medical personnel are becoming tired and burn out.. because of the irresponsible behavior of the people. I understand that you have to go out and the shops need to open, but the least you can do it wear mask, practice social distancing and wash hands.
Everyone must understand that beds do not treat the patients, the doctors and nurses treat patients and we need more of them. My request to every citizen is that now the ball is in your court. You are the ones who will decide what future you want.
Todd Jacobson, Sr. Vice President, Social Responsibility, NBA
We wanted to make sure that we can help out as the NBA family, we launched the NBA platform. It has four pillars - Healthy habits, social distancing, staying home if not feeling well, and wearing masks.
Acts of caring like distributing food or dropping off groceries to the neighbour's house
Connecting with communities- mental health exercises, we started junior NBA programmes, sharing what people do at home. the initiative raised over 100 million dollars which helped in providing PPE and helping those in need
Adar Poonawalla, CEO, Serum Institute of India on COVID vaccine
Laxman Narasimhan, CEO, RB, Sums it up!
Listening to science- as we learn more about the illness, the perspective is changing vastly. The evidence needs to be communicated in the way that it changes the behaviours. There are evidence that people can believe, like the importance of washing hand and wearing masks.
We hit the 125 billion view on the campaign we did with TikTok. We have to democratized the knowledge.
The impact of climates change and its impact on zoonotic. We are also seeing that the mosquitoes and vectors grow as the temperature goes up. The temperature has increased by almost 2 degrees. So with the raising of the temperature of the Earth, it will be a disaster.
It is about the behaviour change, the choice each one of us makes. The plastic we consume and how much we consume. We all have to come together to solve this.
Our product has been around 150-170 years... we have to do thing beyond just business. We have to make sure that we give back to the society. So we decided to set up 1% for the betterment of the society. We have spent on food and nutrition and reached out to over30 million kids. We have also donated 10 million units of soaps and 1 million of liters of Lysol.
We are also promoting self-care and are launching an app in India to help people self-care.
We just can't be successful, we have to be significant as well.
Environmental catastrophes are staring us in the face and if we do not be mindful, the COBIX crisis would be just the tip of the iceberg.(ndira Nooyi, Former CEO, PepsiCo
Power packed panel to discuss COIVD trends globally, economic impact, vaccines development
Gaurav Logani, Managing Director, InMask on #SwathyaMantra telethon
People need to wear the mask properly. Any mask will become useless if people don't use it properly. The mask needs to be very comfortable. The filtration is the next important thing. There should be at least 90% of filtration. Third, it should sustainable and reusable. Follow proper guidelines in wearing the mask. There something called a flame test that we do for each of our masks. Wear masks properly is the key.
Tinni Sawhney, CEO, Aga Khan Foundation, India on the role women have played during the pandemic
Women came together and many self help groups came forward to stich the masks. Women have proved they are the real change makers. Women, whether they are ASHA or SHG members are taking a lead in ensuring that the precautionary measures are adhered to.
Rajan Sharma, National President, Indian Medical Association on impact of COVID on doctors in the frontlineWhen a patient gets treated successfully, the doctor who treats him/her are the happiest ones. But if they are unable to save their patients, there is nothing more painful than that and then the
doctors just try to find out how could they have saved the patient and what can be done in the similar situation in case of future patients,
Doctors are facing a lot of mental health issues now after seeing so many deaths and working long shifts.
Good work doesn't rely on recognition: Pankaj Tripathi
Ravi Bhatnagar, Director, External Affairs & Partnerships, RB on donating a small amount as a token of his
Doctors and nurses who were treating me for a month, I asked them when they went home last and they said, about 40-45 days back. I left a note for the doctors and nurses and paramedics when I left. The sanitation workers made sure that the room and loos are kept clean and I don't get any other infections.
We have a sense of gratitude towards the warriors and as a brand, we want to felicitate them.
It's our 'shradhanjali' towards Mahatma Gandhi on his birthday by felicitating the warriors and acknowledging their work.
Dr Prashant Saxena, Associate Director, Critical Care Head, Pulmonology & Sleep Medicine, Max Smart Hospital on the experience of handling COVID
COVID-19 was really a wake-up call. In India, we don't have an established tertiary health system. It is still evolving. Initially, we faced a lack of PPEs, testing facilities and healthcare facilities but gradually we became confident. We learnt gradually. There was fear among the doctors, nurses, paramedical staff about getting infected. Now, the fear is less. We were not using PPEs in our day to day routine but now we have learnt that we need to be more disciplined.
The comprehensive sexuality education includes various aspects and equips children with values, skills and information. It also protects their rights. They are able to manage peer pressure, cyber security, abuse. Studies across the world has shown it does more good than harm: Richa Shukla, Educationalist 
There is an urgent need to take up sex and adolescent education in school curriculum and remove the taboo around thee topics: Atishi Marlena, Former Advisor to Delhi Deputy CM on Education
That is the little masters art piece which he painted over 9 hours of the #SwasthyaMantra telethon
Abhijit Banerjee, Nobel laureate in Economics on the telethon
Nishi Mishra, Principal, Scindia Kanya Vidyalaya on taboos and body image
Jagpreet Singh, Head Master, The Doon School on engaging with children:The swasthya is not only physical but also mental wellbeing of the child. When a child is raised in the school, the values of schools reflect on the child. There were certain doubts earlier that will conservative families in Punjab send their girls in a co-education school or a single sex school. In the first years, we got only 22 girls and the next year our school got 100 girls. The girls were very shy initially and the boys did not know how to interact with girls. There are now 350 girls and 700 boys in PPS Nabha and they beautifully gel with each other.
I have seen that children, when there are growing up are actually not taught about the issues while growing up. Maybe they are shy, maybe they think that schools are teaching them. When we are raising a child, we need to understand that child needs to be taught according to the age. If they are not provided information to kids, they try to get it from peers and that is mostly misinformation or incomplete information.
Dr Trehan on #SwasthyaMantra telethon
Meet yet another COVID warrior
Manika Sharma, Director, The Shriram Schools on responsibility of schools in gender sensitisationWe schools have a huge duty in our hands. Sexuality education in schools must be mandated. Need for gender inclusivity in our classroom is also very important. We need to be having these conversations with our kids today.
Knowledge can be taken from anywhere but we need to teach our children the life skill. The schools and parents together need to teach them. We need to have an open conversation with children. The children should be able to speak their mind. Parents have to be a listener. There has to a two-way learning. We have to allow our children to speak.
N. Biren Singh, N. Biren Singh, Chief Minister, Manipur
In Manipur, we were not facing community transmission earlier but these days the people are are neglecting the precautions because of which the number of cases are increasing. The recovery is high though. The police, doctors and nurses are very active. Whoever comes from outside, we take them to COVID centres, test them and treat them. We have also announced the wearing of masks mandatory and penalties are being imposed. The markets are still closed. The women are supporting in combating the COVID-19.
One COVID centre will be opened newly because most hospitals and few COVID care centres are overloaded.
New SOPs have been issued, for restarting the economy. We are considering to open market but we are also trying to impose the penalties on those who are not following protocols properly.
Chief Minister of Delhi on #SwasthyaMantra telethon
Real life hero who emerged as a saviour for many stranded during the lockdown
Coming up on #SwasthyaMantra telethon
Neeraj Jain, India Country Director, PATH on success of immunisation in India
We must accept that we are a large country. If we look at what we have achieved in the past years, it has been good. Reaching the children has been a challenge because it is a vast country. There are discriminations like of gender, of the first born, second born etc. To some extent we believe that in case of COVID, how vaccines will help, will also support the larger vaccination programme. We also hope to scale the coverage to 100%.
PATH has been involved in development in many vaccines. We were a part of the development of 2 ROTA vaccines, pneumococcal vaccine. In case of COVID, there are many vaccines already in development. More than 180 countries around the world have signed to be on the COVAX platform of WHO.
About 133 companies around the world have estimated that almost by 2024, we'll be able to vaccinate each person.
There are many diseases in the country that are life-threatening and we are losing a lot of under 5 children. As the primary healthcare strengthens, there needs to be strengthening of diagnosis. Every TB patient now is on the database. So if TB patient is going to a private doctor or pharmacy, they get diagnosed properly that are added to the data.
Basanta Kar, Recipient of Global Nutrition Leadership and Transform Nutrition Champion Award on importance of nutrition
Good nutrition means a good life. Today good nutrition is like a vaccine also. Atmanirbhar Poshan is a strategic and practical need today.
Mohammed Asif, Executive Director, PLAN India on implementation of the Nutrition India Programme:
We have taken a holistic approach to the cause. The parents and caregivers of malnourished children have received support. More than 6000 children were identified who were malnourished and supported by the initiative to improve and reach normalcy. The project also ensures that once normalcy is reached, the levels are maintained. We are also working very closely with district administration.
Ravi Bhatnagar, Director, External Affairs & Partnerships, RB on Nutrition India Programme
We will be investing significantly on nutrition sensitive programmes in India. we are taking our programmes to 50% aspirational districts in India that are poor in various development indicators. We have huge support from like minded organisations like PATH, USAID.
The return we have got on our investment is Rs.37 which means on spending Rs. 1 you get Rs. 33. Including nutrition, breastfeeding hygiene together, the return becomes very high. The intervention sites where we have worked have reported zero deaths. There were a lot severely malnourished kids and moderately malnourished kids. The regions where have conducted these programmes are tribal areas and we have received interest from other states also to implement the same.
Dr Rajan Shankar, Consultant, TATA Trust:
The strategy that we have adopted in containing the virus, has affected nutrition. Millions will be pushed further into poverty and thus more adversely affected by malnutrition. So there is definitely going to be hard times and particularly women and children are the worst affected.
The pregnant women require more nutrition during pregnancy. People's great proportion of livelihood is spent on food.
The children who are born with low birth weight are more vulnerable to developing metabolic syndrome, diabetes, obesity and other non-communicable diseases.
Dr Raghuram Mallaiah, Director, Neonatology & Founder, Amaara Human Milk Bank, Fortis La Femme:
Breastfeeding can be simplified and is not as difficult as people make it seem. I always feel that the mother's instinct is the best instinct but they are always being told what to do. If there are people giving wrong advises, she is unable to focus on feeding. The mother becomes quite tired. She is unable to determine when to sleep, it is important to sensitise the mothers and father beforehand.
The fathers need to be sensitised too because he can support the mother well. All the misinformation should be tackled before the delivery and we should help her be prepared.
The pleasure is ours, Neha!
Angad Bedi, Actor & first-time father on the role of father's in the first 1000 days of the mother and child
Neha Dhupia, Actor & first-time mother on her initiative 'Freedom to feed' to facilitate breastfeeding for women
Dr Indira Chakravarty, Former Director & Dean, All India Institute of Hygiene & Public Health on importance of first 1000 daysThe first 1000 days is the unique period. It is the foundation period for the child's whole life. If proper coverage is given during this time, their whole life will be better
Dr Raj Bhandari, Member, National Technical Board on Nutrition, Women & Child Development Department, Government of India on the telethon
Inter-generational cycle implied the period between 1 in 4 is low birth weight and 1 in 5 is wasted.
There is another issue of hidden hunger.
Government of India launched POSHAN Abhiyan, which was designed to address the first 1000 days, it was the convergence of multiple sectors, departments.
On adolescent health- the micro nutrient deficiency is there. When the young girls go into motherhood they need to have good BMI, at least 18.5 and should not be anaemic. Anaemia is proxy indicators of various deficiencies.
Dushyant Chautala, Deputy Chief Minister, Haryana on how the state is dealing with the outbreak
There is 88 per cent recovery of COVID in Haryana. We aim that in all 22 districts there is a dedicated testing facility so that in the coming months of winter, the people can be kept protected from the virus. 9 districts in our state are in the National Capital Region (NCR) that have seen a lot of movement. 3 medical colleges are being dedicated to COVID in which each bed will have ventilator and oxygen facilities.
In April also we faced the problem of procurement of wheat but that we overcame and we did a huge procurement and none of the farmers tested positive.
Aruna Desai, Founding Member, Sweekar - The Rainbow Parents of India opens about the moment when her son revealed the truth about his sexuality
My son was only 17 years old , in 2007, when he decided to come out to me. My reaction was very cool. Actually, I asked him, ' Are you gay?'. He got up and hugged me and asked me if I loved him less after knowing about him.
I did not know how my life was going to move forward. I took him out to dinner, I told him that I love you
Dr Bilali Camara, UNAIDS Country Director, IndiaPublic health aims to help those who are vulnerable. We urge the government to open up place for the key populations. If we want to have real life solution, we need to be proactive.
I would like to promote the work the community has done in India.
A few day ago, the Supreme Court has said that the transgender communities should have access to food.
The UN is working together with UNAIDS to help the people with HIV AIDS, at least soaps are available to them. These efforts need to multiply and continue.
In Gujarat, we have reached to over 7,000 people with HIV AIDS. We have been able to unite ourselves but we need to continue to do more to address the needs of the people who are vulnerable.
Coming up on #SwasthyaMantra telethon
Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil, Founder, Lakshya Trust on lack of understanding and support from family and society for LGTQ community
Laxmi Narayan Tripathy, Transgender rights activist on the numerous issues that the LGBTQ community is facing in COVID times
Ashok Row Kavi, Founder & Former Chairman, Humsafar Trust & Editor, Bombay Dost on the hardships faced by the LGBTQ community during the lockdown
They are unwanted in the society, they are vulnerable and harassed. When COVID hit the ground, we could see that the way police treated 'Hijras'. They are human beings, they are vulnerable and need support-livelihood, food, and drinking water.
If you say all the time wash your hands, but where is the water?
The situation is bad. People will not only beg, they will do anything to get a mouthful of food. We have not gotten any government help.
The fact that you have to sell your body to get a mouthful of food, you are making yourself vulnerable. Having sex on the street without condoms, there are high chances of HIV spreading into the community.
There are dating sites, where you can see young transgenders are selling themselves so that they can pay rents or get food and water. So you have to understand the vulnerability of these young transgenders.
Bittu Sahgal, Founding Editor, Sanctuary Asia & Founder, Sanctuary Nature Foundation on the increasing risk of future pandemics
Conrad Sangma, Chief Minister, Meghalaya on managing the Coronavirus outbreaks
We had taken a week before the lockdown started in the country, We have strong participation from community. We ensure a thorough process of checking and testing. As we went along the way, the options are very limited because how long can we remain closed? So we ensured that wearing of masks, social distancing and such inherent behaviour change get inculcated among the people.
But the challenges are there for all but with the help of the community, we have been able to contain the situation to some extent our state.
Dr Anjali Chhabria, Psychiatrist & Psychotherapist on mental health in times of COVID
Last 6 months have been about taking care of our physical health but the next coming months need to be about mental health as well. COVID has made people vulnerable to mental health as well, people are facing loneliness
One out of every 7 Indian citizens is suffering from a diagnosed mental health issue. The stigma attached to mental health problems is the biggest need of the hour.
We can save a lot of our youth from committing suicide if they are given timely help.
If we have positive mental health, we are all going to see a life beyond COVID
Just as you fall sick physically, you can also face mental health issues that one can face due to hormone imbalance.
If your mental health is good then, India will be healthy
KK Shailaja, Minister of Health & Social Welfare, Kerala on the COVID second wave
Sanjeev Kapoor, Celebrity Chef & TV personality joins the telethon
Pandemic has taken a toll in different ways and food has become a priority in these times. Making food accessible to people is the need of the hour. We started providing food to the doctors. My association with Akshyapatra has been able to feed many migrant workers. Akshyapatra has been continuously feeding the poor. My belief is that when people eat at home, they are definitely eating better and healthier tha
what it would be outside.
Coming up on the #SwasthyaMatra telethon
Jagdeep Dhankar, Governor, West Bengal on the #SwasthyaMantra telethonCOVID has opened our eyes. It is the virus that has affected the people immensely in all aspects of our lives. An individual himself is a fighter against the virus. The health infrastructure collapsed and could not handle the outbreak of the virus. The people are now becoming aware about the importance of preventive measure.
The only positive thing during this time is that, for some, people were able to come closer to their families, each one of u has changed in some or the other way. There will be now a pre-COVID time and post-COVID time.
During this time, we have also seen various acts of kindness. In West Bengal, there are many handholding programmes for the poor.
To me, togetherness is the key in the 21st century. Only together we can solve this problem: Swami Chidanand Saraswati, President & Spiritual Head, Parmarth Niketan AshramThe people need to understand that healthy body, mind and soul, all three are aligned; it will become a swasth mantra. All religion need to brought together for the prosperity of the country and the world. The campaign you all have been running, this is real CSR and Media Social Responsibility and what Mr. Bachchan is doing by dedicating his time, talent and tenacity, it is called the real Human Social Responsibility.
We planted 2 lakh trees and plan to conduct more plantation drives with other religious schools.
Every student in our Gurukul are being trained to further train other children and adults on hygiene and sanitation not only in India but in other countries as well.
Bishop Allwayn D’Silva on the #SwasthyaMantra telethon
Children as agents of change
Manjinder Singh Sirsa, President, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee on the crisis of COVIDThe juncture where we are today, hygiene is very important. It is said in the holy book that even if we want to find the God, we need to be clean. Human being has become arrogant and is competing with the environment. The Holy Scriptures say that air is our teacher, soil is the mother and water is father. Everyone attached with Sikh institutions are taught cleanliness needs to be practiced and environment conservation is supreme. Every student is required to plant at least 10 trees each.
No matter how hard the going gets, music never fails to cheer up
Dr Imam Umer Ahmed Ilyasi, Chief Imam, All India Imam Organisation on the importance of hygiene
I want to congratulate Dettol and NDTV for running this campaign for the last 6 years. This has benefitted many people in the country. Now, during this unprecedented situation that COVID has put all of us in, it is important that we protect ourselves first and then help others and protect them too. When we started working in the Madarsas, the children were amazed because such kind of a campaign was not implemented ever before. Children have become aware and I hope that we take this campaign to other madarsas with the help of digital technologies through smart classes.
Rajesh Chandy, Academic Director, Wheeler Institute for Business and Development
We need to understand what was happening and what was striking was how the investments made before the pandemic was now paying up. It is remarkable that we have been able to create village level round tables through technology. We have been able to get government officials, NGOs to bring in the villagers.
As you know, women in India have always had a role in driving change. But often the role has been behind the scenes. Now, however, we see them in front. Because women were involved in the very positive activities. Now they organize WhatsApp groups. Try to overcome misinformation. They have organisaed village level poetry competitions on hygiene and other such activities. They have much visible roles now. Women in India are organising large WhatsAapp groups on raising awareness on COVID, personal hygiene and other issues.
Coming up on the #SwasthyaMantra telethon
Inside Asia's largest jail
Ashwajit Singh, MD, IPE Global Group
The initiative for changing behaviors should focus on easy changes, the changes that are possible. Communication can be at number of levels. It is not easy to change the mindsets of people. You need to work with the community leaders and explain he communities that why the change is needed and what will happen if they not change.
Getting celebrities for the awareness building is another way of communications. Now celebrities can be seen wearing masks. This makes a huge difference.
Get in the opinion makers like political leaders for instilling behavior change. The behavior changes also need to be backed by the the practices that makes the change sustainable.
The children should be roped in because children are the best agents of change. Governments need to mainstream behaviour change in school curriculum.
To get the behavior changes you need to look at the framework- it should be practical and can be adopted easily. All these need to be done simultaneously to make an impact.
Dr Harsh Vardhan, Minister of Health & Family Welfare on #SwasthyaMantra telethon
Watch out for Neha Dhupia who will be on the #SwasthyaMantra telethon soon
Madarsa Shaikh-Ul-Alam Sabiriya Chishtiya in Lucknow is all set for new normal in COVID times
Kavita Seth, Singer & Member, Karwaan Group performs during the #SwasthyaMantra telethon
We work closely with government initiatives to ensure health for the people. The strategies look at unique partner to partner model. It is important for us to identify models and scale up. The integrated approach with private sector, in the WASH sector, we look to invest in our own commitment. We are results driven. We developed the development health impact bond. The bond has helped 20,000 TB patients and avert7,000 diarrhoea deaths
Pinakiranjan Mishra, EY India Consumer leader, Ernst & Young on hygiene index
Hygiene Index has helped cities compete with each other and this has gone a long way and the cities could improve over a period of time.
Ravi Bhatnagar, Director, External Affairs & Partnerships, RB on the innovative steps taken by the company to sustain its commitment to hygiene and sanitation initiatives
We have averted more than 7000 deaths arising from diarrhea in a matter of one year under health bonds. The bond is working perfectly fine. The demand is coming from states like UP to implement in all districts. The difference is the finance mechanism,. We pay on the basis of the result. First the result needs to come then we pay. We first started Hygiene index in 25 cities in India and now it is the Swachh Survekshan evaluating the progress of cities and Indore is winning again and again. We are also observing that with coronavirus, the efforts must multiply. The sanitation workers are most at risk. They have to deal with a lot of waste that include masks, PPEs. So teaching them the hygiene so that they take care of themselves is super critical.
Meet Aarav Verma, who will be painting for 9 hours and will present his painting at the end of the show
Jack Sim, Founder, World Toilet Organisation and Restroom Association of Singapore in how Singapore cleaned up its countryI founded the World Toilet Organisation 20 years ago. At that time, people were shy about talking about toilet. Today, hygiene and sanitation has become a talking point. We need to promote this habit. Toilet is the cheapest medicine in the world. In the Singapore journey, in 1965 when we became an independent country, we did not have money to build hospitals but we started cleaning the rivers, the road, toilets, everything clean and immediately we were able to save a lot of lives. Then we moved on to cleaning the mind-set of the people and today we have almost no corruption, ours is a very trusted country and we were able to clean up the mafia-secret societies also.
Ravi Bhatnagar, Director, External Affairs & Partnerships, RB on the #SwasthyaMantra telethon
Mark Balla, Author, Toilet Warrior on the importance of behaviour change for toilets to be of useI started coming to India on business many years ago. In Dharavi, the biggest slum in Asia. They took me to a school and the first thing that struck me in that school is that there were no girls in the school because there were no toilets in the schools. We put 15 toilets in partnership with Rotary club in that school 5 years ago. The number of children has increased in these schools.
The major part of this project is teaching people to change behaviors. The kids absorb the new information so well. They take the information and take it home so in that sense we have touched a large number of people.
Importance of hygiene in tackling COVID gets special attention during the #SwasthyaMantra telethon
COVID-19 warriors find a special mention from Amitabh Bachchan during the telethon
Stay tuned, soon Shruti Haasan will join the #SwasthyaMantra telethon
Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist, WHO on the #SwasthyaMantra telethonMahatma Gandhi believed that health is the true wealth and not gold and silver. So two things I want to highlight, one, public health preparedness. How quickly the lab capacity was expanded in India. So it is all about preparedness, infrastructure, capacity. Second,is people. Because, now people are adhering to preventive measures. People are also changing their lifestyles by incorporating exercises, lowering tobacco consumption, increasing nutrition.
As far as vaccine is concerned, I think we can be optimistic. We have many vaccine candidates. Normally we take 5 years for trials but now we are hoping to get a vaccine in 12-18 months. Realistically, we are looking at the middle of next year to get a vaccine.
We are also looking at an equitable distribution of vaccine among the people in the world. It is only when enough people are vaccinated that we start seeing an end to the pandemic but until then, we need to follow all the preventive measures.
'What is Corona?' Watch what Mr Bachchan learnt from his granddaughter
Dr Prathap C Reddy, Founder-Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Groups on the #SwasthyaMantra telethon:
I have adopted 60,000 people in the mandal I was born in. I help in providing them nutrition delivered at their home. In the last few years, there have been no mortalities among children and women there. For COVID-19, the government acted quickly and then it geared up the public health sector. This is, I think, the first lesson to us. The life-sustaining programmes are necessary. Now the results of all the efforts are showing. The mortality is really low. The more important thing is that the people who got into the problem did not only have COVID-19 but also had other co-morbidities. The World Economic Forum said that there will be an increase in the non communicable diseases.
5 hours done, 7 hours more to go and many more guests will join us on the #SwasthyaMantra telethon
If you think about what the communication has been on the Swachh Bharat mission, it is not just about going to the toilet or building a toilet. It's been about hygiene and it's about washing hands and clean habits: Naina Lal Kidwai, Chair, India Sanitation Coalition & Former Country Head, HSBC India
COVID brings back the focus on the importance of cleanliness and hygiene
Why is India struggling to end the inhuman practice of manual scavenging?
Rohit Kumar Singh, Additional Chief Secretary, Govt Of Rajasthan, Rural Development & Panchayati Raj on how Rajasthan dealt with the pandemic
When the infection came to Rajasthan, we worked on two fronts - how to stop transmission, how to treat people. Bhilwara was becoming a hotspot. One of the foreign channels said that Bhilwara will become a second Italy but we decided not to let it happen and it became a model. The people have to be on your side. We followed that principle, we asked people to stay at home and we provided them with essentials at home. We tried to work on all fronts. Rajasthan has this tradition of tying technology in governance. We realised that in 3-4 months the vaccine will be rolled. This will create another problem of making it accessible to all. Rajasthan is the biggest state in terms of geography. We have decided to engage self-help groups of women that collective have more than 20 lakh members. We are training them to sensitise people about the pandemic and vaccination.
Washing hands is getting the importance it deserves due to the Coronavirus pandemic
Harish Hande, Magsaysay awardee & Founder, SELCO India on the #SwasthyaMantra telethon
As schools prepare to open up after months of lockdown, here's an example of the steps a school in Lucknow is taking to ensure safety and hygiene for its students
Earlier on the Telethon, Dhvani Bhanushali, Singer performed few of her songs
More than 13% of the malnourished children have come out it because of the efforts under the CM Suposhan Yojna. 8 Lakh people have been benefitted under the health scheme: Bhupesh Baghel, Chief Minister, Chhattisgarh