JP Nadda chairs meeting with West Bengal MPs to achieve TB elimination by 2030
New Delhi: Union Health Minister JP Nadda on Thursday called upon MPs from West Bengal to spearhead a people's movement against Tuberculosis (TB), emphasising stronger community participation, early detection and district-level monitoring to help India achieve its target of eliminating the disease by 2030.
Nadda chaired a meeting titled "Parliamentarians Championing a TB-Mukt Bharat" with Members of Parliament from West Bengal on the sidelines of the Monsoon session of Parliament at the Extended Parliament House Annexe here. He was joined by Union Minister of State for Education and Development of North Eastern Region, Dr Sukanta Majumdar.
According to the PTI report, the meeting brought together MPs of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha from West Bengal across party lines to strengthen collective efforts towards achieving a TB-Mukt Bharat (tuberculosis-free India) through greater political leadership and community participation, a health ministry statement said.
The meeting was part of a series of sensitisation interactions chaired by the Union health minister with MPs from states across the country, including Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and others.
Nadda informed the members that similar consultations have been held with MPs from other states as well, as part of the government's whole-of-government approach to accelerate TB elimination, the statement said.
According to the statement, the meeting reviewed the progress made under the 100-Day TB-Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, implemented in two phases to accelerate India's efforts towards TB elimination.
The first phase, launched on December 7, 2024, initially covered 347 high-priority districts before being expanded nationwide and concluded on March 24, 2025. The second phase, launched on March 24, targets nearly 1.58 lakh high-risk villages and urban wards across the country.
Addressing the gathering, Nadda described the campaign as "a defining moment in the nation's fight against tuberculosis, built on innovation, compassion and unwavering political will", reports PTI.
Nadda reiterated that the principal objective of the TB-Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan is to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal of eliminating TB by 2030, the statement said.
Highlighting India's progress, Nadda cited the WHO Global TB Report 2025 and said that India has recorded a 21 per cent decline in TB incidence between 2015 and 2024, compared to the global average decline of 12 per cent, making India's pace of decline nearly twice the global average.
He further noted that India's treatment coverage rate has reached 92 per cent, significantly higher than the global average of 78 per cent, reflecting the country's leadership in global TB control efforts, the statement said.
Nadda emphasised that TB-Mukt Bharat is not merely a health programme but a nationwide people's movement requiring active public participation, it said.
Stressing the importance of "jan bhagidari" (public participation), he said that the campaign can achieve its full potential only through collective ownership involving elected representatives, governments, civil society and communities.
Calling upon MPs to lead this movement in their constituencies, Nadda urged them to regularly review TB elimination efforts with district collectors or district magistrates (DMs) and the health department.
He asked them to intensify awareness generation and stigma reduction while promoting early detection through Ni-kshay Shivirs and screening of high-risk villages and vulnerable populations, including asymptomatic TB cases, the statement said.
Nadda also called for strengthening oversight of TB programme implementation and service delivery through visits to district and block-level health facilities.
He urged MPs to encourage community participation by mobilising Ni-kshay Mitras and local organisations to provide nutritional, psychosocial and livelihood support to TB patients besides organising targeted Ayushman Arogya Shivirs to proactively screen high-risk and vulnerable populations.
The Ni-kshay Mitra initiative aims to mobilise citizens and institutions as partners in care to provide nutritional, psychosocial and social support to TB patients and their families.
Highlighting India's transformative TB elimination journey, Nadda underscored the importance of universal mandatory notification of TB cases diagnosed in the private sector, alongside the provision of free government-supplied medicines to reduce the financial burden on patients, the statement said.
He described the proactive detection of asymptomatic TB cases as a revolutionary step in the country's TB elimination strategy, it said.
The Union health minister highlighted the role of indigenous TruNat molecular diagnostic machines in detecting Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and noted that AI-enabled handheld X-ray machines have significantly improved access to early diagnosis in remote and underserved areas.
He added that portable X-ray units supported through PM CARES are further expanding doorstep diagnostic services across the country, the statement said.
Nadda also highlighted the government's patient-centric initiatives, including enhancement of the monthly nutritional support under the Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana to Rs 1,000 per patient, introduction of shorter and advanced treatment regimens, and the mobilisation of over five lakh Ni-kshay Mitras nationwide to provide sustained nutritional and social support to TB patients.
