Project Pink Alert launched in Kolkata: Empowering youth for a cancer-aware future
Times of India | 1 June 2025
In a significant step towards creating a cancer-aware generation, the Institute of Breast Disease, Kolkata, in collaboration with the Asian Medical Foundation, launched Project Pink Alert—a youth-focused cancer awareness initiative—at Presidency University.The project was unveiled during a dynamic three-hour workshop held at the PCM Auditorium, engaging over 100 students from the university’s Department of Mathematics. The interactive session focused on key areas, including cancer prevention, early detection, lifestyle risk factors, and debunking myths, aiming to equip young people with life-saving knowledge.This marks a new chapter for an initiative that previously reached over 1.8 lakh school students across 1,800 schools nationwide. With its latest expansion, Project Pink Alert seeks to engage college and university students as cancer awareness ambassadors within their communities.“India’s biggest challenge is not the lack of treatment facilities, but the late detection of cancer,” said Dr. Soumen Das, Director of the Institute of Breast Disease. “With Project Pink Alert, we are planting the seed of awareness among today’s youth, so they become informed, proactive, and responsible citizens.”India faces a mounting cancer burden, with one in every 22 women at lifetime risk for breast cancer. Over 70% of cancers in India are detected at advanced stages (Stage III or IV), significantly reducing treatment success rates. Project Pink Alert aims to change this narrative by promoting timely detection and reducing avoidable deaths.The launch event featured engaging talks by key medical professionals, including Dr. Kanad Basu (project lead), Dr. Tanmoy K. Mandal, Dr. Sayantan Mukhopadhyay, and Dr. Anowar Ali Mallick. A vibrant Q&A session followed, during which students asked thoughtful questions about genetics, symptoms, and societal stigmas.The team extended their gratitude to Professor Avishek Adhikari and the Presidency University faculty for their support, as well as to Sanjoy Chatterjee, Chairman of the NASSCOM Regional Council, for his continued encouragement.Following its successful kickoff, Project Pink Alert is poised to expand across colleges and universities in multiple states, with an ambitious goal to reach 1 million students in the next two years.