The Drive campaign to address sickle cell disease has been launched

National Commission for Scheduled Tribes Chairman Antar Singh Arya addressing the media in Vijayawada on Thursday.. | Photo credit: KVS Giri

National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) Chairman Antar Singh Arya on Thursday said awareness programs are being conducted across the country as part of a nationwide campaign to eradicate sickle cell disease.

Talking to the media, Mr. Arya said that the Commission was organizing ‘Yuva Samvad’ programs in colleges to promote health awareness and social responsibility among the youth. He added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi attaches special importance to addressing the prevalence of sickle cell disease in tribal areas.

He added that during the visit to Andhra Pradesh, the Commission conducted extensive reviews of tribal welfare schemes, constitutional safeguards and issues related to tribal communities and employees. According to him, the main objective of the tour was to ensure the protection of tribal rights and the effective implementation of development plans.

Mr. Arya explained that before conducting the state-level review, the Commission will spend two to three days visiting tribal areas, interacting with residents, tribal organizations and public representatives to get feedback, complaints and suggestions.

The delegation included Commission members Jatothu Hussain and Nirupam Chakma, Secretary Prashant Kumar Singh and Director P. Kalyan Reddy.

Published – 04 Jun 2026 23:31 IST