President Pranab Mukherjee has stressed the need to empower the people who have been socially discriminated on account of leprosy through advocacy and information dissemination. In his message on the eve of Anti Leprosy Day, Mr. Mukherjee said the scourge of leprosy has been a blot on humanity over the years.<br/><br/> He advocated every possible effort to spread awareness about leprosy, its treatment and rehabilitation of its patients. Mr. Mukherjee said the need of the hour is to intensify efforts towards early detection of leprosy cases, provide equitable access to appropriate treatment and provide integrated leprosy services in geographically focused areas. <br/><br/>The President also asked to work actively to achieve the goal of a leprosy free India. Mr. Mukherjee recalled Mahatma Gandhi's love and compassion for patients suffering from leprosy saying the Father of the Nation understood the social dimensions of the disease and worked relentlessly to reintegrate them into the social mainstream.