Highlights Of The NDTV-Dettol Banega Swasth India 12-Hour #SwasthyaMantra Telethon
NDTV and Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014. In 2019, we transitioned from SWACHH to SWASTH, and moving forward, in Season 7, we will focus on the three pillars that can together keep the world safe - Health, Hygiene & Sanitation, and Environment. Helmed by NDTV's Dr Prannoy Roy and campaign ambassador Amitabh Bachchan, the campaign talks about how a clean India leads to a healthy India as health can only flourish when the environment around one is clean.Actor and climate warrior Bhumi Pednekar lent her support to the #SwasthyaMantra telethon. Ms Pednekar along with Mr Bachchan and Bezwada Wilson, Magsaysay awardee and Founder & Convenor, Safai Karmachari Andolan, discussed the problem of poor waste management and its impact on the environment and the inhuman practice of manual scavenging.
At #SwasthyaMantra telethon, Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist at the World Health Organisation (WHO) lauded India for quickly expanding its lab capacity in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic and the citizens of the country for adopting COVID preventive measures. Dr Swaminathan asked to continue to follow precautionary and preventive measures until a vaccine is developed.
One of the focus areas of the #SwasthyaMantra telethon was also the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown on the LGBTQIA+ community. People from the marginalised community are facing the double whammy of the COVID-19 pandemic and the stigma. Experts discussed the importance of family support and parental acceptance for children coming out of the closet and other issues.
Actor Neha Dhupia who has been quite vocal about breastfeeding and actor Angad Bedi lent their support to the Banega Swasth India season 7. While Neha Dhupia talked about breastfeeding practices in India and the importance of the first 1000 days, Angad Bedi highlighted the role of fathers in supporting the breastfeeding mothers.
This year, one of the three pillars of the campaign is health under which we focus on nutrition sensitive interventions that include, sanitation, family planning, nutrition, hand wash, immunisation, especially amid COVID-19. At #SwasthyaMantra telethon, experts discussed the renewed attention to nutrition and called for a Jan Andolan (people's movement).
Actor Pankaj Tripathi lent his support to the #SwasthyaMantra telethon and with a group of experts and ministers including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria, and Dr Naresh Trehan, Chairman & MD, Medanta - The Medicity, discussed different aspects of Coronavirus and how India's response has improved over the months.
"What I have learned from this pandemic is that you can learn a lot from the people around you, you never know what you are capable of doing. I can say that I have learned more in the last six to seven months than I have learned in my whole life", said actor and philanthropist Sonu Sood at #SwasthyaMantra telethon.
Here's how Sonu Sood has helped people from all walks of life affected by the Coronavirus lockdown.