Megastar Amitabh Bachchan gets US Embassy award for fighting tuberculosis

New Delhi: Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan was given an award by the US Embassy in appreciation for his invaluable contributions to the US-India partnership on tuberculosis.

Richard R Verma, the US Ambassador to India presented the award to the legendary actor on January 8, 2017.

Big B is also a tuberculosis survivor and brand ambassador for the initiative.

Speaking on a live video-chat with Facebook users, the two discussed the US Embassy's collaboration to end TB in India and the US-India partnership among other issues.

"I thank Mr. Bachchan for his dedication to support the cause and for sharing his story as a tuberculosis survivor to reduce the stigma associated with tuberculosis," Verma acknowledged.

He added that more lives can be saved and ease the burden the disease places on families, communities, corporations and India, referring to the high incidence of tuberculosis-related deaths in the country.

"It is inspiring that India and the US are natural partners with a long history of collaboration on tuberculosis prevention, treatment, research and cure and I hope to continue to do my bit in this partnership to end tuberculosis in India," the actor reciprocated.

Amitabh Bachchan even shared a picture from the ceremony on Twitter, captioned as, ''T 2497 - At TB eradication campaign with US Ambassador, and at a lecture for Harvard Univ/India conclave .. educative and most humbling''.

T 2497 - At TB eradication campaign with US Ambassador, and at a lecture for Harvard Univ/India conclave .. educative and most humbling pic.twitter.com/Yv646SOQVP — Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) January 8, 2017

Richard R Verma and Amitabh Bachchan first collaborated to work on the disease during an event here two years ago on September 10 and it soon grew into a common passion around the cause of eradicating tuberculosis.

Watch the video where Amitabh Bachchan and Richard R. Verma are seen talking about the disease during a live-blog chat on the social networking site, Facebook.

In March 2016, Amitabh attended a reception at the US Embassy in New Delhi as tuberculosis brand ambassador and survivor of the disease.

(With IANS inputs)