Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to Inaugurate First Health Literature Conference in Pune on October 19

Pune: The inaugural Health Literature Conference will be held on Sunday, October 19, 2025, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Bal Gandharva Rangmandir, Pune. The event, chaired by renowned litterateur Dr. Sanjay Oak, will be inaugurated by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at 10 a.m.

The conference will see the participation of several dignitaries, including Union Minister of State Murlidhar Mohol, veteran actor Dr. Mohan Agashe, renowned singer-composer Dr. Salil Kulkarni, Maharashtra Film Development Corporation Chairman Meghraj Rajebhosale, Dr. D.Y. Patil University trustee Yashraj Patil, and MLA Siddharth Shirole.

Organized collaboratively by the Patient Rights Forum, Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, and Dharamday Hospital Assistance Cell (Mumbai), All India Marathi Film Corporation, All India Marathi Natya Parishad, Bal Gandharva Parivar Trust, Pune Municipal Corporation, Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad, and Grand Prithvi Medical Foundation, the event will also feature the Pune Health Festival. The festival aims to screen and provide health check-ups for 25,000 to 40,000 patients, with experts from leading hospitals assessing the health of Pune residents, artists, writers, and journalists.

The morning session at 11:30 a.m. will feature a panel discussion on ‘Making Maharashtra Drug-Free’ with Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar, filmmaker Praveen Tarde, and Deputy Inspector General of Anti-Narcotics Praveenkumar Patil. The session will be chaired by Prof. Dr. Milind Bhoye.

At 1 p.m., Padma Shri awardees Dr. Smita and Dr. Ravindra Kolhe will be honored with the ‘Maharashtra Arogya Bhushan Award’ by Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil. Other prominent attendees will include entrepreneur Puneet Balan, veteran actor Dr. Girish Oak, former IMA president Dr. Avinash Bhondve, Dr. Prasad Muglikar of Ruby Hall Hospital, and Sachin Kulkarni, Vice President of Sahyadri Hospital.

Afternoon sessions will include special lectures by Dr. Jagannath Dixit, Dr. Pramod Jog, and Dr. Pradeep Awate at 3 p.m., followed by a special felicitation and musical evening at 4 p.m. with dignitaries including Minister Madhuri Misal, MLA Hemant Rasane, former Assembly Speaker Dheeraj Ghate, and Health Deputy Director Dr. Bhagwan Pawar. Special honors will also be presented to Pune Municipal Corporation health chief Dr. Nina Borade, former Deputy Director Dr. Hanumant Chavan, Assistant Health Officer Dr. Sanjeev Vavre, Dr. Suryakant Devkar, and renowned cardiologist Dr. Suraj Chavan. Singer Amar Punekar will perform during the musical segment.

The evening session at 5:30 p.m. will see the launch of the book ‘Stri Arogya Samruddha Karuya’ under the chairmanship of Sunita Raje Pawar of Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad, followed by a panel discussion at 6:30 p.m. on ‘Challenges in Urban and Rural Healthcare,’ featuring journalists and experts. Actor Dr. Sanjeev Kumar Patil will present on ‘Stress-Free Living’ at 7:30 p.m.

The conference will conclude at 8 p.m. in the presence of Rajya Sabha MP Prof. Dr. Medha Kulkarni, District Collector Jitendra Dudi, and Pune Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram. Former IPS officer Chandrashekhar Daithankar, MLA Sunil Kamble, and conference chairman Dr. Sanjay Oak will deliver speeches.

The details were shared by conference convenor Umesh Chavan and Film Development Corporation Chairman Meghraj Rajebhosale at a press briefing.