History of HKNS/ILA

Hind Kusht Nivaran Sangh (Indian Leprosy Association) is an old and prestigeous body of people committed towards treatment, rehabilitation of leprosy patients and elimination of leprosy from India. Abbreviated as HKNS, Hind Kusht Nivaran Sangh was founded on 27th January 1925 with the name of Indian Council of British Empire Leprosy Relief Association (BELRA) with three objectives : (i) to carry out research on various aspects of leprosy; (ii) to provide short courses of training , treatment of leprosy; and (iii) to carry out propaganda. When the Indian Council of BELRA was established by His Excellency the Earl of Reading and; then Viceroy and Governor-General of India, there were two headquarters, one located at Indian Red Cross Society Office, New Delhi ( inaugurated by Sardar Bahadur Balwant Singh Puri) functioning as Administrative Office and the other headquarter working as Technical Office situated at the Department of Leprosy, School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Calcutta under the leadership of Dr Ernest Muir.

After the independence of India, The Indian Council of BELRA was renamed as Hind Kusht Nivaran Sangh (Indian Leprosy Association) and registered in 1950 under the Registration of Societies Act (XXI of 1860) with the President of India as the President of the Sangh and by its constitution, the Chairman, Honorary Treasurer and Organizing Secretary all being nominated by the President. (Late) Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, the then Health Minister of India was nominated by the President as the first Chairman of HKNS. Thus, the Hind Kusht Nivaran Sangh (Indian Leprosy Association) came into existence on the 19th of August 1949. Prof T. N. Jagadisan, Honorary Secretary of the Kasturba Kusht Nivaran Nilayam, Pazhavanthangal was the first Organizing Secretary of HKNS. It was the pioneering and painstaking efforts of Prof Jagadisan that the HKNS (Indian Leprosy Association) spread throughout India to become the foremost association of leprosy researchers and activists in India. After the inception of National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP) in India, HKNS (Indian Leprosy Association) has played commendable job to achieve the dissemination of information about the NLEP through its 17 State branches and sub- branches. The HKNS and its auxiliary branches acted as catalysts in accelerating the pace of public health awareness programme and rehabilitation of dislocated leprosy patients.