About National Leprosy Eradication Programme:
- It is a centrally sponsored scheme under the overarching umbrella of National Health Mission (NHM).
- Aim: The primary aim is controlling leprosy through early detection and treatment.
- Goal: Its goal is to make India leprosy-free by interrupting transmission, eliminating stigma, and ensuring dignified care for all affected individuals.
- The programme offers free-of-cost services for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of leprosy through all public health facilities across India.
- It provides both technical and financial support to all States and Union Territories for implementation of activities related to prevention, early detection, case confirmation, treatment, disability prevention, and post-treatment care.
- It also facilitates convergence with other national health programmes and deploys digital platforms such as Nikusth 2.0 for surveillance and reporting.
- The programme is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the WHO Global Leprosy Strategy.
- WHO Global Leprosy Strategy aims to achieve zero transmission, zero disability, and zero discrimination by 2027.
- It was declared as a Notifiable Disease.
- Objectives:
- To reduce Prevalence rate less than 1/10,000 population at sub national and district level.
- To reduce Grade II disability % < 1 among new cases at National level.
- To reduce Grade II disability cases < 1 case per million populations at National level.
- Zero disabilities among new Child cases.
- Zero stigma and discrimination against persons affected by leprosy.
