🌿 Healing Beyond the Hospital: Jan Mitra Nyas and the Fight Against NCDs

A Vision for a Healthier, Just India

“In the pursuit of justice, we cannot ignore the silent epidemic destroying our communities — Non-Communicable Diseases.”

— Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi

On 6th July 2025, in the spiritual heart of India — Varanasi — an important conversation emerged at the Health Icon Awards 2025, where Jan Mitra Nyas (JMN) was honoured for its grassroots work. Beyond recognition, it became a platform to challenge India’s most urgent but often invisible health threat: Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs).

🚨 The NCD Crisis: A Matter of Social Justice

NCDs — including heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and chronic respiratory illnesses — account for nearly 65% of all deaths in India. The burden disproportionately affects the poor, Dalits, Adivasis, and survivors of violence — the very communities JMN works with daily.

Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi, receiving the award on behalf of JMN, declared:

“Tobacco, ultra-processed foods high in salt, sugar and fat, and alcohol are not just health risks — they are tools of slow violence against the marginalized.”

His words reframed NCDs not as lifestyle issues, but as structural issues rooted in poverty, caste discrimination, and corporate irresponsibility.

🚬 Tobacco: A Killer in Plain Sight

Tobacco alone is responsible for 1.35 million deaths annually in India. The majority of users belong to vulnerable and impoverished communities — farmers, daily-wage workers, and informal labourers.

Lenin’s call was clear:

“Tobacco is the cheapest weapon of mass destruction. Bidi and smokeless tobacco target the voiceless. We need political will and people’s power to stop this.”

Jan Mitra Nyas supports survivors not just through rehabilitation, but also awareness campaigns, de-addiction support, and community health literacy. The organisation partners with doctors who act not only as clinicians but as advocates for public health equity.

⚠️ Salt, Sugar, Fat: The Hidden Poisons

FOPL — Front-of-Pack Warning Labels Can Save Lives

Dr. Raghuvanshi also spoke passionately about the urgent need for Front-of-Pack Labelling (FOPL) — a crucial step to inform consumers about excess salt, sugar, and fat in packaged foods.

“Poor people are misled by colourful marketing. They think packaged food is a symbol of progress. But it is often a slow poison, causing early death, disability, and economic ruin.”

Lenin called on policymakers and food regulators to mandate simple, front-of-pack warning labels, especially in Hindi and local languages — with clear symbols to guide low-literacy populations.

This aligns directly with WHO recommendations and India’s own National Action Plan on NCDs, but progress remains slow due to lobbying by processed food corporations.

🌍 Global Vision, Local Action

JMN’s work aligns closely with the UN Sustainable Development Goals:

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

• SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

By integrating public health with human rights, traditional medicine with modern science, and community voice with policy advocacy, JMN is reshaping how India tackles NCDs — from the bottom up.

👣 Youth as the New Public Health Warriors

Interns from JMN and PVCHR like Sanjana Shukla, Aditya Mishra, Khushi Yadav, and Ankit Singh are now documenting stories of NCD survivors and amplifying their voices through digital platforms, photography, and video — proof that India’s youth are stepping into leadership roles to fight systemic health injustice.

✨ Conclusion: Health is a Human Right

As Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi concluded:

“Non-Communicable Diseases are not just about medicine. They are about marketing, misinformation, and marginalisation. To heal India, we must dismantle these root causes — with empathy, evidence, and equity.”

The Health Icon Awards 2025 was more than a ceremony. It was a call to action. A reminder that healthcare is not just about hospitals, but about preventing suffering through policy change, public education, and protecting the vulnerable.

In this spirit, Jan Mitra Nyas stands as a beacon of healing and justice — building not only a torture-free India, but a NCD-free India.

🖋️ Authored by:
Editorial Team, Jan Mitra Nyas
📍 Varanasi – Where Tradition Meets Transformation

📌 Keywords: NCDs in India, tobacco control, FOPL, health justice, Jan Mitra Nyas, Lenin Raghuvanshi, grassroots health, SDG 3, nutrition labelling, public health equity, caste and health.