New Delhi: Union Health Minister J P Nadda on Friday said India has reduced its tuberculosis (TB) incidence by nearly 23 per cent and significantly lowered TB-related mortality over the past decade.
He urged states and Union Territories (UTs) to intensify efforts in the final weeks of the ongoing intensified 100-day TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan.
Chairing a high-level review meeting with state health ministers and senior officials through video conferencing, Nadda said the second phase of the campaign, scheduled to conclude in the first week of July, represents a critical “last-mile effort” to identify every missing TB case and ensure that vulnerable populations are not left behind.
Highlighting progress made in the country’s fight against tuberculosis, he said India’s TB incidence declined to 187 cases per lakh population in 2024 from 243 per lakh in 2014. TB mortality also dropped to 21 deaths per lakh population in 2024 from 34 per lakh a decade earlier.
According to the health ministry, more than 28.1 crore people have been screened for TB, around 20 lakh individuals have received TB preventive treatment and over 5.7 lakh new Nikshay Mitras have been added under intensified campaigns launched since December 2024.
“The campaign marks a paradigm shift in our TB control strategy. We are no longer waiting for patients to come to health facilities.
“We are proactively reaching communities, villages, urban wards and congregate settings to identify vulnerable individuals and detect cases early,” Nadda said.
He stressed that the remaining days of the campaign are crucial and called upon states requiring additional attention to undertake district-wise reviews and accelerate screening among high-risk and underserved populations.
The minister also underscored the importance of nutritional support in reducing TB mortality and improving treatment outcomes. He urged states to engage Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of Legislative Assemblies (MLAs) in reviewing TB elimination efforts in their constituencies and promoting greater public participation.
During the review meeting, officials informed that since the launch of the second phase of the campaign, over 1.7 lakh Ayushman Arogya Shivirs have been organised, covering more than 1.20 lakh high-risk villages, urban wards and congregate settings across the country.
The campaign has also seen large-scale community participation, with nearly 32 lakh students and youth from schools and colleges and around 1.9 lakh My Bharat volunteers supporting awareness and screening activities.
Officials said X-ray screening under the campaign has increased 34-fold due to the deployment of handheld X-ray machines, significantly strengthening active case-finding efforts. A dedicated monitoring dashboard integrated with the TB Mukt Bharat App is being used for real-time tracking of progress.
The review also highlighted the launch of the TB Mukt Bharat App, integrated with the AI-powered chatbot “Khushi”, which provides information on TB symptoms, patient entitlements and nearby diagnostic facilities.
Designed to function on entry-level smartphones, the platform aims to improve awareness and encourage timely diagnosis and treatment.
To further strengthen diagnostic capacity, the ministry has facilitated the creation of additional radiographer positions beyond the existing 13,702 posts.
Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava informed the states that additional radiographers would be deployed through the National Health Mission (NHM) and requirements for handheld X-ray devices, Truenat and CBNAAT machines would be addressed expeditiously.
Concluding the meeting, Nadda reaffirmed the Centre’s commitment to eliminating tuberculosis and said the goal of a TB-free India can be achieved only through sustained collective action and whole-of-society participation.
