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NDTV’s longest-running health campaign Banega Swasth India launches AI chatbot and loyalty cards for children
NEW DELHI: Banega Swasth India is back for a 12th season, and this time it means business. NDTV and Dettol’s flagship health campaign will launch an AI-powered hygiene chatbot, a gamified loyalty card programme for children, and an accessibility curriculum for disabled youngsters when it takes to the airwaves on 2 October 2025.
The telethon, fronted by actor Ayushmann Khurrana, will rally Indians around the theme “I Am the Change” and the call to action Mere Dus Gaz Se Viksit Bharat Tak (From My Ten Yards to a Developed India). The ambition is bold: transform every citizen into an agent of health change.
The star attraction is Hygieia, India’s first hygiene chatbot, which will dispense health guidance in 22 Indian languages and four global ones. It sits alongside the Swasth Bharat Champ Hygiene Loyalty Card Programme—India’s first non-financial hygiene loyalty scheme for children, designed to build lifelong healthy habits through gamification and rewards.
Breaking new ground on inclusion, Dettol will unveil what it claims is the world’s first digital accessibility curriculum for children who are blind, deaf, mute or autistic. Awards will honour maternal and child health tech accelerators focused on the critical first 1,000 days of life.
President Droupadi Murmu will grace the event, joined by Uttar Pradesh governor Anandi Ben and Odisha chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai, Malaika Arora, Nimrat Kaur and Jasmine Sandlas will perform.
NDTV chief executive & editor in chief Rahul Kanwal said the campaign has evolved into a movement that inspires citizens to contribute to the nation’s health journey. “With innovations like Hygieia and inclusive programmes for every child, the campaign demonstrates that purposeful individual action can transform communities—and collectively, guide India towards a Viksit Bharat by 2047.”
Reckitt executive vice-president for south Asia Gaurav Jain said the partnership was driving meaningful change in millions of lives. “By leveraging innovative solutions, we’re empowering individuals and communities to take charge of their health and hygiene. Our commitment to health equity and inclusivity is reflected in our Dettol Accessibility Curriculum, which ensures that no child is left behind.”
The campaign has reached over 26 million children and enabled more than 38 billion handwashing occasions. Its architects believe individual responsibility and collective resolve will propel India’s health transformation. Change, they insist, begins with me.
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Kamlesh Singh receives Haldi Ghati Award from MMCF
India Today Group editor honoured for three decades of journalism at Udaipur ceremony.
MUMBAI- Kamlesh Singh just turned a lifetime of sharp words into a shiny shield because when journalism wakes up a society, even the Maharana of Mewar wants to pin a medal on it.
The Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation (MMCF) conferred its prestigious Haldi Ghati Award on Kamlesh Singh, a senior editor at the India Today Group, during a ceremony in Udaipur on 15 March 2026. The national award, instituted in 1981-82, recognises “work of permanent value that initiates an awakening in society through the medium of journalism.”
Singh, who leads several editorial initiatives including Aaj Tak Radio, the Teen Taal community and The Lallantop, was presented the honour by Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, Managing Trustee of MMCF. The citation highlighted his three decades of contributions to Indian media, innovations in digital journalism, mentoring young reporters, and his popular podcast persona “Tau” on Teen Taal, which fosters thoughtful public discourse.
The Haldi Ghati Award, named after the historic Battle of Haldighati symbolising valour and resilience, is one of four national awards given annually by MMCF. Past recipients include Tavleen Singh, Piyush Pandey and Raj Chengappa.
Other honourees this year included Padma Vibhushan Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Vedamurti Devvrat Rekhe, Treeman of India Marimuthu Yoganathan, Vir Chakra Capt Rizwan Malik, and US-based researcher Molly Emma Aitken, who received the Colonel James Tod Award for contributions to understanding Mewar’s spirit and values.
In an era where headlines often shout louder than substance, the MMCF quietly reminded everyone that real journalism isn’t about noise, it’s about the quiet, persistent work that stirs society awake, one thoughtful story at a time.
