Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday drew attention to the alarming rise in obesity rates in India, citing a report that warns nearly 44 crore people may be obese by 2050.

He called the statistic “huge and scary” and stressed the importance of taking action to curb the growing health concern.

On the first day of his two-day visit to Gujarat and the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for projects worth ₹2,587 crore in the region. He also launched a food security saturation campaign in Surat.

Addressing rallies in Silvassa, the administrative headquarters of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and later in Surat, Modi highlighted obesity as the root cause of numerous health issues.

He urged people to combat the condition by engaging in regular