Kolkata, Oct. 29 -- West Bengal Health minister Sharadwat Mukherjee on Thursday urged Satyam Roychowdhury, founder and Managing Director of Techno India Group and Chancellor of Sister Nivedita University, to join the cause of eradicating tuberculosis (TB) from India.

Calling upon all to become 'Nikshay Mitra' under the TB-Free India campaign, he said support from all quarters of the society can help provide nutritional food to TB patients. "Tuberculosis still remains a challenge for India. The government is strengthening the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP) and cases have come down over the years. Nikshay Mitra is a mass movement. I urge everyone to sponsor a TB patient , just Rs 3,000 can provide nutrition support to a poor TB patient. We aim to make India TB-free by 2047 and I call upon industrialists like Satyam Roychowdhury to come forward for this cause," the Health Minister said at the inauguration of the three-day 28th National Conference of the Indian Chest Society (NAPCON 2026 Kolkata) at a city hotel on Thursday evening.

Roychowdhury, who was felicitated by the Health minister on the occasion, immediately responded to the call.

"I thank the honourable Health minister. It's a great mission and I will be there at every step of this great mission.

This mission is for the greater good of society and if I can help in any way, I will be there," said the noted educationist.

Organised by the Indian Chest Society (ICS), the 28th NAPCON 2026 Kolkata will be held from October 30 to November 1, 2026 at ITC Royal Bengal and ITC Sonar, bringing together around 4,000 pulmonologists, respiratory physicians and national and international faculty to discuss the latest developments in respiratory medicine.

Members of the Indian Chest Society including Dr A G Ghoshal, Chief Patron, ICS NAPCON 2026 Kolkata, Dr Raja Dhar, Organising Chairman, and Dr Amita Nene, National Secretary of the Indian Chest Society, among others, were present at the inauguration. "More than 1,000 delegates participated in 19 workshops on Thursday," Dr Dhar said. He also noted that the timing of the conference is particularly significant, with Diwali and Kali Puja next week, which once again underscores the hazards of pollution.

Themed "Advancing the Future of Respiratory Medicine," the conference will feature expert-led sessions, keynote addresses, workshops, symposia and panel discussions.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.