The International Leprosy Union (ILU) Thursday launched a campaign to control leprosy in India this year, officials here said.

The Last Mile programme will aim to cut down leprosy prevalence by half the Indian average, to less that one case per 10,000 people, a statement from ILU said.

The campaign will be run with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Nippon Foundation.

Some states have much higher leprosy prevalence than the Indian average - three in 10,000 in West Bengal, four in Delhi and 5.5 in Bihar.

"A national meet identified an action plan for 2005 for rehabilitating the patients cured, organising workshops for doctors, social workers and the media and fighting the stigma," the statement said.

Former president of India R. Venkataraman, Nippon Foundation president Y. Sasakawa Thursday felicitated 36 leprosy patients who were cured and rehabilitated.