Rijiju Praises MPs vs Delhi Police T20 For 'TB Mukt Bharat' Cause

(MENAFN- AsiaNet News)

Members of Parliament, Delhi Police Play for ‘TB Free India’ Cause

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Sunday praised the MPs vs. Delhi Police ‘TB Free India’ T20 initiative and also commended the fitness levels of the parliamentarians participating in the match. Speaking to ANI, he said that if MPs from all parties play together for a noble cause, it sends a positive message. “This is a great initiative by our MPs… Many of our MPs are quite fit and enthusiastic. Playing for a cause is a wonderful thing. I am also excited to see the audience here… If MPs from different parties work together on the same campaign, it sends a good message,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Members of Parliament (MPs) and Delhi Police personnel faced off in a friendly T20 cricket match in the national capital as part of the ‘TB Free India’ awareness campaign, aimed at promoting the government’s initiative to eliminate tuberculosis in India. The T20 match between Delhi Police and MPs was held at New Delhi’s Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium under the TB Free India campaign.

MPs Speak on the Awareness Initiative

Before the match, BJP MP Anurag Thakur told reporters, “I am grateful to the MPs and Delhi Police officers. We are playing this match to raise awareness… It doesn’t matter who wins or loses here. TB will lose. The country will win.”

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Vice President and Congress MP Rajeev Shukla shared insights into the legacy of this cricket match, which he said is organized every year by the Constitution Club of India. “The match is organized by the Constitution Club of India. It happens every year… ‘TB Free India’ is the cause of the match. This has been a tradition. It has been happening since the Nehru era,” he said.

Speaking with ANI, BJP MP Manoj Tiwari said, “A campaign is underway across the country, and we have largely succeeded in ensuring that no one has to lose their life to TB. Many treatments and precautions are already available, and to raise awareness among people, we are playing a cricket match. Today, on one side, there will be the MPs’ team, and on the other side, the Delhi Police team, and we are going to play an exhibition match,” he added.

Background of the Campaign and Matches

Last year, Members of Parliament faced a team of actors, led by Suniel Shetty, featuring Bollywood celebrities such as Sohail Khan, Sharad Kelkar, Raja Bherwani, Shabbir Ahluwalia, Freddy Daruwala, Sameer Kochhar, Navdeep Tomar, Sunny Deol, Abhishek Kapoor, Siddharth Jadhav, and Muddasir Bhat. The actors defeated the MPs in the cricket match.

President Droupadi Murmu launched the ‘Pradhan Mantri TB-Free India Campaign’ on September 9, 2022. The campaign aims to unite all community stakeholders to support those undergoing TB treatment and to accelerate the country’s progress toward TB elimination. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)