Union Health Ministry Convenes Workshop for Leprosy-Free India

In a significant step towards realizing the vision of a Leprosy-Free India, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, organized a two-day Regional Workshop on Review of Programme Performance and Focused Strategic Action for Achieving Zero Transmission of Leprosy in Nava Raipur, Chhattisgarh.

Addressing the gathering, Smt. Aradhana Patnaik highlighted India’s remarkable achievements in reducing the burden of leprosy and recalled that the country had attained elimination as a public health problem at the national level in 2005. She noted, however, that transmission persists in several endemic districts and hotspot areas, necessitating intensified and targeted interventions to interrupt transmission completely.

Speaking at the Occasion, Dr. Sunil V. Gitte, Deputy Director General (Leprosy), informed participants that 91,783 new leprosy cases were detected in India during 2025–26, with a prevalence rate of 0.56 per 10,000 population. Of the newly detected cases, 4.18 percent were children and 2.12 percent presented with Grade-2 Disability at the time of diagnosis.

The workshop was chaired by Smt. Aradhana Patnaik, Additional Secretary and Mission Director (National Health Mission), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. It was attended by Shri Amit Kataria, Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, Government of Chhattisgarh; Shri Sanjeev Kumar Jha, Commissioner-cum-Director, Health Services and Mission Director, National Health Mission, Chhattisgarh; Shri Nikhil Gajraj, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India; Dr. Sunil V. Gitte, Deputy Director General (Leprosy); along with Mission Directors, State Leprosy Officers, Regional Directors, and senior programme officials from participating states.(UPDATED ON 12TH JUNE 2026)