Mumbai: Actor Ayushmann Khurrana is supporting the LGBTQIA+ community in Chandigarh by investing in building food trucks for the community and helping them become self-reliant through food business. The food trucks are being called “Sweekar”, promoting the importance of acceptance for the community in today’s society.
Ayushmann, who is the National Ambassador of UNICEF, believes an individual must do their bit to help as many people as possible.
According to me, an actor should try and have a social responsibility. It is the love of the people that put us in a position where we can do our bit to empower people and communities thereby raising awareness on important issues. I have always believed that inclusivity is the primary pillar for nation building, the actor said in a statement. We have to also encourage others to do the same. Once we realise how symbiotic we are as a society and how we can only thrive by being together, we will achieve our bigger goal of creating a harmonious, co-existing world that celebrates diversity,” he added.
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Dhananjay Chauhan, who happens to be the first transgender student of Panjab University and an active voice for the LGBTQIA+ community in the state, shared photographs of the food truck on Twitter.
Thank you so much Ayushman Khurana ji for supporting Transgender. Without your help our dream will never fulfill. Chandigarh Administration and Panjab University can provide a space to Transgender to start Food Business, Mr Chauhan posted.
Ayushmann said he is thrilled that he is able to contribute towards empowering members of the transgender community in Chandigarh during the Pride Month.
I will always support the LGBTQIA+ community in my own way, he added.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
