New Delhi, March 20 (IANS): Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama Thursday said here that there should be no place for stigma against leprosy patients in the society.

Addressing the patients suffering from leprosy and their family members, he said: "It is very important for the people affected by leprosy to be accepted by the society as part of the human family".

He said the stigma attached against the disease is worse than the disease itself.

"People suffering from the disease should never feel detached from the society", said the spiritual leader adding the leprosy patients in every sense are better than the people who despite being healthy don't have reasons to be happy in their lives.

There are more than ten thousand Leprosy patients in the national capital.

The Dalai Lama also urged the rich people in the country to contribute money for the welfare works of the Leprosy patients and people suffering from other diseases.

He said his trust will donate $1 million for the welfare of the Leprosy patients.

"There is a need for the organisations to come ahead and increase awareness in a bid to eliminate the stigma in the minds of the people against the leprosy disease," he said.