NDTV and Dettol have announced the landmark 12th season of ‘Banega Swasth India’, the country’s longest running television health campaign, with a promise to bring transformative launches, impactful partnerships and a renewed call for action towards building a healthier India.

According to an NDTV press release, this year’s campaign telethon will be held on October 2, 2025, with actor and campaign brand ambassador Ayushmann Khurrana setting the tone through an invocation of the theme “I Am the Change” and the call for action “Mere Dus Gaz Se Viksit Bharat Tak” (“From My Ten Yards to a Developed India”). The initiative aims to encourage every citizen to become an agent of health transformation—at home, in communities and nationwide.

Among the new launches is ‘Hygieia’, India’s first AI-powered hygiene chatbot available in 22 local and four global languages, designed to democratize health guidance. The season will also unveil the Swasth Bharat Champ Hygiene Loyalty Card Program—a non-financial loyalty scheme for children that uses gamification and rewards to build healthy habits. In addition, the Dettol Accessibility Curriculum, described as a world-first, will provide digital health education for children with visual, hearing, and developmental challenges, ensuring inclusivity and equity.

The telethon will also present awards for maternal and child health tech accelerators and showcase success stories from Dettol hygiene champions, schools and community partners, highlighting the campaign’s decade-long impact. The programme will feature President Droupadi Murmu as a special guest, alongside leaders such as Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandi Ben and Odisha Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai. Cultural performances and appearances by stars including Malaika Arora, Nimrat Kaur and Jasmine Sandlas will add to the movement’s reach.

Rahul Kanwal, CEO & Editor-in-Chief, NDTV, said the campaign has become a people’s movement. “Banega Swasth India has evolved into a movement that inspires every citizen to contribute to the nation’s health journey. In its 12th season, with innovations like Hygieia and inclusive programs for every child, the campaign demonstrates that purposeful individual action can transform communities—and collectively, guide India towards a Viksit Bharat by 2047,” he said.

Gaurav Jain, Executive Vice President – South Asia, Reckitt, underlined the long-term commitment of the partnership. “With the theme ‘I Am the Change’ and the call ‘Mere Dus Gaz Se Viksit Bharat Tak’, we’re inspiring a collective movement towards a healthier, more prosperous India. Every individual has the power to be an agent of change,” he noted.

Having already reached 26 million children and enabled more than 38 billion handwashing occasions, the campaign enters its 12th year with renewed vigour, carrying forward its pledge towards health equity and the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.