Anti Leprosy Day Marks A Leap Towards Leprosy - Free India, a Dream of Mahatma Gandhi by Karishma Abhishek on February 2, 2021 at 7:11 AM Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) has been jointly launched by the WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination Mr. Yohei Sasakawa (Recipient of Gandhi Peace Prize 2018), Sasakawa Leprosy (Hansen's Disease) Initiative, National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP) of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of India (MoHFW), and WHO India in the run-up to Anti Leprosy Day on January 30, 2021. Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae. It is characterized by