UNICEF Felicitated by Government of Chhattisgarh for Technical Support to Road Safety Campaign
Raipur, 24 January 2026:
UNICEF was felicitated by the Lead Agency, Road Safety and the Department of Transport, Government of Chhattisgarh, during the State-Level Road Safety Month 2026 Felicitation Ceremony at Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Auditorium, Raipur. The recognition was conferred for UNICEF’s technical support to the state’s road safety communication and behaviour change campaign.
The award was received on behalf of UNICEF by Abhishek Singh, Social & Behaviour Change (SBC) Specialist, and Vishal Vaswani, Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Officer.
Addressing the gathering, Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai highlighted that sustainable reductions in road accidents depend not only on infrastructure and enforcement, but on behaviour change and everyday road user choices.
Hon’ble Transport Minister Shri Kedar Kashyap thanked UNICEF for its consistent technical support and partnership with the Government of Chhattisgarh.
Shri S. Prakash, Secretary, Transport Department, emphasised the importance of coordinated, evidence-based communication to reduce road fatalities, while Shri Sanjay Sharma from the Lead Agency, Road Safety, appreciated UNICEF’s contribution in translating policy into citizen-focused messages.
The ceremony, organised as part of Rashtriya Sadak Suraksha Maah 2026, saw participation of over 1,000 people, including young people, students, NCC, NSS, Scouts and Guides, and community volunteers. Several frontline volunteers were also awarded for their contributions to road safety.
UNICEF provided technical inputs to strengthen messaging on helmet and seatbelt use, safe speed, avoiding drink-and-drive, and reducing distracted driving, supporting safer road behaviour across communities.
Speaking on the occasion, Abhishek Singh said,
“Behaviour change sits at the heart of all our work. UNICEF remains committed to supporting people-centred behaviour change approaches across programmes—from road safety to health, nutrition, education and child protection—to help create lasting impact for children, adolescents and families.”
UNICEF’s partnership with the Government of Chhattisgarh on road safety awareness is ongoing. UNICEF has also provided technical support to the Hon’ble Chief Minister’s School Safety Programme, under which road safety activities were implemented across government schools in Chhattisgarh, helping build safer habits early and nurture a strong culture of road safety among children and adolescents.
About UNICEF
UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places to reach the most disadvantaged children and adolescents. In India, UNICEF partners with governments and communities to help every child survive and thrive—by strengthening systems, services and evidence-based behaviour change approaches.
