On 31^st January 2024, A recent report highlights the issues presented at a meeting held to ensure the success of Sparsh, a program intended to run from January 30 to February 13, under the chairmanship of the Civil Surgeon in the Deputy Commissioner Auditorium of Dhanbad District. The APAL’s State Committee in Jharkhand attended the meeting, during which Shri Madhusudan Tiwari, a member of APAL, discussed several critical issues related to leprosy patients.

Mr. Tiwari highlighted that Dhanbad district has 21 leprosy colonies, and caste certificates have not yet been issued to the children of the leprosy colonies, causing significant problems for the children. Moreover, the Dhokra Panchayat exemplifies the misconceptions about leprosy patients in society. Despite providing 1 acre of 35 decimal land to leprosy patients in 2005, the villagers of Dhokra Panchayat have not allowed the leprosy patients to settle to date.