As challenges continue to hinder India’s self-imposed 2025 TB elimination goal, despite reducing the infection by 21% since 2015, the Government has reached out to Members of Parliament (MPs) to actively contribute to the fight against the world’s most infectious disease.
India’s TB elimination goal is five years ahead of the global target of 2030.
Union Health Minister JP Nadda held an interaction with the policy makers and sensitised them on the TB-Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan and emphasised their critical role in raising awareness and mobilising communities.
The interaction, the first in a series of engagements with Parliamentarians, focused particularly on MPs from Uttar Pradesh, one of India’s high-burden TB states. Nadda outlined the campaign’s objectives, key activities, and the crucial leadership role MPs are expected to play in supporting the initiative at the constituency level.
“MPs must monitor the campaign in their respective constituencies, raise awareness about TB, reduce stigma surrounding the disease, and mobilise communities to actively participate in the campaign,” Nadda urged. He highlighted that combating TB effectively requires not just medical interventions, but also community involvement, public education, and active citizen engagement.
The World Health Organisation Global Tuberculosis Report 2025 has noted that TB continues to be among the world’s deadliest infectious diseases, claiming over 1.2 million lives and affecting 10.7 million people globally in 2024.
According to the report, 87% of the world’s TB cases are concentrated in just 30 countries, with India (25%) leading the list, followed by Indonesia (10%), the Philippines (6.8%), China (6.5%), and Pakistan (6.3%).
As per the Union Health Ministry, India’s treatment coverage now stands at 92%, outpacing most high-burden countries, an achievement that was showcased before the MPs. “India’s TB incidence — the number of new cases emerging each year — has declined by 21 per cent, from 237 per lakh population in 2015 to 187 per lakh in 2024. This is almost double the pace of global decline, which stood at 12 per cent, according to the World Health Organization’s Global TB Report 2025,” Nadda said.
He further noted, “India’s TB mortality rate has decreased from 28 per lakh population in 2015 to 21 per lakh population in 2024, reflecting remarkable progress in reducing deaths due to TB.”
The MPs were briefed on several innovative interventions introduced over the past decade to accelerate TB elimination. These include rapid deployment of AI-enabled hand-held chest X-ray machines, Truenat molecular testing platforms, and adoption of shorter and more effective treatment regimens. Decentralisation of TB care through the network of Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, alongside increased community engagement and awareness campaigns, has also strengthened early diagnosis and treatment adherence.
Nadda emphasised that early detection and treatment remain pivotal to India’s TB elimination goals. “Further penetration of TB screening services, particularly in rural and underserved areas, along with awareness generation at the grassroots level, is essential for the success of the campaign,” he said. The Minister stressed that MPs could play a transformative role by turning TB elimination into a Jan Andolan, or mass movement, leveraging their local reach to promote active participation and reduce social stigma associated with the disease.
He encouraged Parliamentarians to use their platforms to educate communities, engage local stakeholders, and monitor campaign implementation in their constituencies. By linking the latest diagnostic tools, effective treatment protocols, and robust community mobilisation, India can accelerate its path towards becoming a TB-free nation by 2030.
Nadda was joined by B L Verma, MoS, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Pankaj Chaudhury, MoS, Ministry of Finance, Kamlesh Paswan, MoS, Ministry of Rural Development, Jitin Prasada, MoS, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Electronics and Information Technology and Kirti Vardhan Singh, MoS, Ministry of External Affairs and Environment.
Union Health Secretary, Punya Salila Srivastava underscored the importance of the campaign for reducing the TB burden in the country while the Additional Secretary and Mission Director, National Health Mission, provided an overview of the TB Elimination campaign of the Ministry.
