By: IPP Bureau
Last updated : April 09, 2026 7:03 am
CSR-led ‘Too Shy to Ask’ program expands across 1,000+ villages, with Panchayat-backed adolescent leadership driving behavioural change
Metropolis Healthcare Limited has expanded the reach of its flagship adolescent health CSR initiative, with its Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health (ARSH) programme.
The initiative has impacted over 3.25 lakh adolescents across 1,017 villages and 371 Panchayats, underscoring the growing role of corporate-led community health interventions in India.
At the second edition of its ARSH Conclave held in Mumbai, the Ameera Shah-led diagnostics major said the programme has moved beyond awareness campaigns to create adolescent-led behavioural and community change models, particularly in underserved and tribal geographies across Maharashtra and Uttarakhand.
The initiative, part of the company’s broader ‘Too Shy to Ask’ (TSTA) CSR platform, reached 1.29 lakh adolescents in FY26 alone, spanning 17 blocks and six districts. A key pillar of the programme is the Kishori Manch, adolescent-led peer groups that function as safe spaces for dialogue, leadership, and action on issues ranging from menstrual hygiene and healthcare access to child marriage prevention and school retention.
More than 15,000 Kishori Manch groups are currently active, collectively executing over 13,500 community action plans, reflecting deeper grassroots penetration and stronger ownership among adolescents and Panchayat institutions.
The programme has also delivered measurable behavioural outcomes. Knowledge levels related to reproductive health and life skills have risen sharply from 25% to 89%, while over 1,200 referrals into local health systems indicate stronger health-seeking behaviour among adolescent girls. The initiative has additionally contributed to 40-plus Panchayat resolutions, helping create more adolescent-friendly village ecosystems.
Addressing the Conclave, Ameera Shah, Promoter and Executive Chairperson, Metropolis Healthcare Limited, said: “What we are witnessing today is far more than program impact—it is the emergence of a youth-led movement. When adolescents are given the right knowledge, platforms, and trust, they begin to influence not just their own futures, but the systems around them. At Metropolis, we believe sustainable change happens when communities lead it themselves, and these young girls are demonstrating exactly that.”
Dr Duru Shah, Chairperson of Metropolis CSR and the driving force behind the TSTA and ARSH programs, said: “Adolescent well-being must move beyond awareness into agency. Through ARSH, we are seeing girls question norms, engage with local governance, and take informed decisions about their health and rights. They are not waiting for change—they are leading it. This is the foundation of a healthier, more equitable society.”