Farhan Akhtar has been roped in by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) Public Health Department as the face of its campaign EkChammachKam. The campaign, in partnership with city non-profit Amar Gandhi Foundation, will create awareness about non-communicable diseases (NCD) such as high blood pressure, obesity and high blood sugar. BMC officials have described the campaign as "high-impact". Civic chief Ajoy Mehta said the BMC had taken 50-plus bus shelters, hoardings and railway station boards to promote the campaign across Mumbai.

Number crunching
Mehta said the EkChammachKam campaign was aimed at making people aware about the grave nature of NCDs and the importance of dietary changes and exercise in one's life. Additional Municipal Commissioner I A Kundan backed Mehta, and said, "Non-communicable diseases are major killers. We thought this needs to be addressed." Akhtar cited the World Health Organisation's (WHO) report on NCDs, number crunching as he said, "Nearly 61 per cent of deaths in India are now attributed to non-communicable diseases. Out of these, cardiovascular diseases (coronary heart disease, stroke, and hypertension) contribute to 45 per cent, followed by chronic respiratory disease (22 per cent), cancer (12 per cent) and diabetes (3 per cent). These are preventable if we reduce the intake of salt, sugar and oil in our diet, and become physically active." Amar Gandhi Foundation's Dr Bhupendra Gandhi said the name of the campaign is self-explanatory. "Have just #EkChammachKam of salt, sugar and oil every day", that is how simple it is. Too much sodium in a person's diet can be harmful.