SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being | SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
Institutions: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare | National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP)
India’s leprosy prevalence rate has dropped from 57.2 per 10,000 population in 1981 to 0.57 in 2025, marking a 99% reduction. The country achieved national elimination status in 2005 (defined as <1 case per 10,000) and sustains it today, with 31 States and 638 districts meeting the elimination threshold. Under the National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP)—a centrally sponsored scheme within the National Health Mission (NHM)—India provides free Multidrug Therapy (MDT), post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) with single-dose rifampicin, and disability rehabilitation support.
This update is an announcement via PIB, with detailed strategic actions outlined in the National Strategic Plan and Roadmap for Leprosy 2023–2027, aligned with the WHO Global Leprosy Strategy 2021–2030. The plan aims to interrupt transmission by 2027 and achieve zero indigenous cases by 2030 through intensified case detection, digital surveillance via Nikusth 2.0, and integration with schemes like Ayushman Bharat, Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK), and Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK).
India’s progress illustrates continuity of public health planning, community-based detection, and global partnerships (with WHO, World Bank, and ILEP). The policy challenge now is sustaining zero transmission through integration with primary health care and digital health frameworks under Ayushman Bharat.
What is Leprosy? → Leprosy, or Hansen’s disease, is a chronic bacterial infection caused by Mycobacterium leprae that affects the skin, nerves, and eyes. It is curable with early diagnosis and MDT but can cause disability if untreated. It matters because social stigma, not just medical risk, has long marginalized affected individuals.
Follow the full update here: PIB | MoHFW NLEP | WHO Global Leprosy