BCCI to associate with environment, cancer awareness

  • 20/03/2018

  • Times Of India (New Delhi)

MUMBAI: In the past, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has often been criticised for not associating itself with social causes. That, however, is set to change. For IPL 11, which will kick off on April 7, the Board has decided to associate itself with two relevant social issues - environmental conservation and cancer awareness. In February, Harsh Vardhan, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and Erik Solheim, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Head of UN Environment, had jointly announced that India will be hosting the global World Environment Day celebrations on June 5 this year. “Both the issues require creating awareness and what could be a better platform than the IPL! Cancer cure is possible only with early diagnosis. The BCCI has joined hands with the Tata medical Centre for the awareness of early detection of cancer,” BCCI acting president CK Khanna told TOI on Monday. “To commemorate and contribute to these pressing causes, during the IPL, hoardings and billboards will be put up to highlight and spread the message regarding these issues. It will be the BCCI’s humble contribution towards these causes,” Khanna added. Cricket Australia (CA) and Cricket South Africa (CSA) regularly stage international games which highlight awareness about breast cancer and even collect funds towards its cure.