Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], March 6 (ANI): Under the chairmanship of Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, an MoU was signed between the State Health and Family Welfare Department and Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) in Gandhinagar on Thursday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has resolved to make India TB-free by 2025. Under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, the State Government has taken this step in Gujarat's commitment to fulfill this resolution of the Prime Minister, said an official release.

Under this MoU, the Lions Clubs International Foundation will join hands with TB patients as a Nikshay Mitra and contribute to a TB-free India by providing nutrition kits.

On this occasion, the State Health and Family Welfare Minister Hrishikesh Patel was present.

Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel expressed his confidence that if the commitment of voluntary organisations is added to the efforts of the State Government, then the Prime Minister's vision of a TB-free India will definitely be realised.

Along with treatment, TB patients also need nutritious food. Therefore, as TB patients are detected and put under treatment, these patients need Nikshay Mitra for nutrition kits.

Under the TB-free India campaign of the Central Government, to accelerate the eradication work, the President has also urged the corporate sector, voluntary organisations, elected representatives, political parties, and institutions to organise a new initiative to ensure that TB patients get nutritious food, vocational support, diagnosis and other necessities.

So far, about 10,555 Nikshay Mitras have been registered in the Nikshay portal under this campaign, and 3,49,534 nutrition kits have been distributed to TB patients for nutritious food.

Lions Clubs International Foundation has shown enthusiasm to become Nikshay Mitras under the TB-Free India campaign and provide nutrition kits to TB patients, as part of which a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed to adopt TB patients and provide nutrition support.

Under this MoU, Lions Clubs International will provide nutrition kits to all the needy TB patients identified by the state government every month till the treatment continues.

On this occasion, Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister Shri M. K. Das, Principal Secretary to the Health Department Shri Dhananjay Dwivedi, Secretary to the Chief Minister Smt. Avantika Singh, Health Commissioner Shri Harshad Patel, Dr. Ratan Kanwar Gadhvi Charan, Lions Clubs International Foundation office bearers Shri Rameshbhai Prajapati, Frank Moore and high officials of the Health Department were present. (ANI)