Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde flags off Red Run 2026 to raise HIV and AIDS awareness among students

Pic/Special Arrangement

Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde on Sunday said promoting healthy lifestyles and greater health awareness among young people was essential to building a healthier society, as more than 500 college students participated in the ‘Red Run 2026' marathon organised in Mumbai to spread awareness about HIV/AIDS.

The 4-km marathon was organised by the Mumbai Districts AIDS Control Society (MDACS) under its ‘Run To End AIDS' initiative. The event began at 7 am on Sunday, with Mayor Ritu Rajesh Tawde flagging off the run and addressing participating students and citizens.

"A healthy and empowered young generation is the future of the country, and an active lifestyle and health awareness are the need of the hour to ensure a healthy society," Tawde said.

Students take part in HIV/AIDS awareness campaign

The event brought together more than 500 college students as part of efforts to increase awareness about HIV/AIDS among young people in Mumbai. More than 200 employees of the organisation, along with National Service Scheme (NSS) volunteers, were deployed along the marathon route to facilitate the event.

Tawde said Mumbai's efforts to address public health challenges required participation from citizens and young people in addition to administrative measures.

Speaking about the role of the Mumbai Districts AIDS Control Society, she said the organisation was working on HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness across the city. She added that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) was focused on providing public health services alongside civic and infrastructure facilities.

"The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is consistently committed to providing not only civic and infrastructure facilities but also quality and efficient public health services," Tawde said.

Mayor calls marathon more than a sporting event

Tawde said the marathon should be viewed as an awareness initiative rather than simply a competition.

"Today, some may win and some may learn; but more important than winning is coming together and running for a noble cause and taking the message of awareness to society. We must all adopt the mantra of ‘Healthy Youth, Healthy City'," Mayor Ritu Tawde said.

The event was organised under the guidance of Dr Rakesh Gupta, Additional Secretary and Director General of the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), New Delhi, and BMC Commissioner Ashwini Bhide.

Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Prajakta Verma-Lavangare, MDACS Project Director and Municipal Deputy Commissioner (Public Health) Sharad Ughade, Executive Health Officer Dr Santosh Gaikwad, Medical Superintendent of Acworth Leprosy Hospital Dr Amita Pednekar, MDACS Additional Project Director Dr Vijaykumar Karanjkar and Deputy Director Umesh Ghuge were among the officials present.

Winners to represent Mumbai at national competition

The winners of the Red Run 2026 competition were felicitated at the event. The winning runners will represent Mumbai at the national-level Red Run Marathon competition to be organised by NACO in Bihar in October 2026.

The event also included the felicitation of students who performed well in a quiz competition conducted under the Adolescent Education Programme implemented by MDACS in municipal schools.

The school-level round of the quiz was held on August 12, 2026, followed by the semi-final and final rounds on September 11.

Red Ribbon Clubs active in colleges and schools

As part of its continuing HIV/AIDS awareness efforts, MDACS is currently running awareness activities through Red Ribbon Clubs in 190 colleges across Mumbai. Similar programmes are being conducted in 250 municipal schools.