India, Oct. 29 -- The world marks International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week (ILPPW) from 19-25 October 2025. As India progresses to an aspirational Viksit Bharat by 2047, this is also the time when the nation must unlock its true demographic dividend, with a bold, time-bound national goal to eliminate childhood lead exposure by 2040 in keeping with the global agenda. Lead poisoning is, unfortunately, a relatively under-recognized environmental threat.

Unlike air pollution or climate change, say, it does not show up in the same way in media headlines. However, in terms of the impact on society, what we witness is comparable. It leaves a profound adverse impact on the way children learn and think. In adults, it can lead to kidney damage...