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by IANS |
New Delhi, Dec 10 (IANS) The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), on Wednesday rolled out a month-long campaign on the Delhi Metro to boost the health and well-being of women and girls.
The campaign, which began at the Sultanpur Metro Station, “will run through December and January, delivering messages on women’s safety, mental health support, digital inclusion, Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) and TB awareness across metro trains and select stations”, the Ministry said in a statement.
"In collaboration with WHO, we have launched this Delhi Metro campaign to share important messages with the people of Delhi. One key message is: agar swasth naari hai, to sashakt parivaar hai, sashakt rashtra hai (loosely translated as when a woman is healthy, the family and the nation can remain healthy)," Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava, told IANS.
"The campaign also aims to ensure compliance and raise awareness of the PCPNDT Act, and urge people not to go for gender determination," she added.
The Health Secretary shared that the advancing technologies are sometimes misused to determine the sex of the unborn child.
The Act aims to combat female foeticide and address the declining sex ratio in the country.
Further, the campaign will also focus on tuberculosis, furthering the TB Mukt Abhiyaan in the country. As the incidence of TB in Delhi is high, the campaign aims to run a Jan Andolan to fight the deadly infectious disease in the state and the nation, Srivastava said.
According to the latest data from the Ni-kshay portal, Delhi reported 9,8309 cases of TB between January and October in 2025.
Notably, the state has screened nearly 8.78 lakh people so far, along with conducting around 3.8 lakh chest X-rays to speed up the identification of new TB cases, under the nationwide TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan.
“Leveraging the Delhi Metro ensures these critical messages reach millions of daily commuters, strengthening awareness and empowering women and girls across the city,” Srivastava said.
Dr Catharina Boehme, Officer-in-Charge, WHO South-East Asia, also noted that "healthy women are the pillars of a healthy family, community, and a healthy nation."
“Here at this metro station, some journeys end, and others begin. Today marks the final day of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence. And as that campaign ends, another begins. We are proud to launch the Delhi Metro campaign for Women’s and Girls’ Health and Well-being, rooted in two simple and enduring truths: Healthy Women=Healthy Nations, and #BecozSheMatters.”
“Health of women and girls, including their mental health, is hence important not just for their well-being, but most importantly for our well-being,” she added.
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