Union Health Minister Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda chaired a meeting titled "Parliamentarians Championing a TB Mukt Bharat" with Members of Parliament from Karnataka and Kerala on the sidelines of the Monsoon Session of Parliament. The meeting was part of a series of sensitization interactions with MPs from various states including West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu, reflecting the government's whole-of-government approach to accelerate TB elimination.
Progress Review and Campaign Results
The meeting reviewed the progress of the 100-Day TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan implemented in two phases. The first phase launched on December 7, 2024, initially covered 347 high-priority districts before expanding nationwide and concluded on March 24, 2025. The second phase ran from March 24 to July 4, 2026, focusing on nearly 1.58 lakh high-risk villages and urban wards across the country. The campaign screened over 2.02 crore vulnerable individuals and detected over 7 lakh new TB cases, including 1.97 lakh asymptomatic cases that would have otherwise remained undetected.
India's TB Elimination Achievements
Union Health Minister Nadda highlighted India's accelerated gains in TB elimination, noting a 21% decline in TB incidence between 2015 and 2024—nearly twice the global pace. The country has achieved a treatment coverage rate of 92% according to the WHO Global TB Report 2025. The minister emphasized that expanding outreach in screening, treatment, and patient support in Karnataka and Kerala will be critical for translating national momentum into community-level impact.
Technological Infrastructure and State-specific Challenges
Health Secretary Smt. Punya Salila Srivastava noted that Karnataka and Kerala face vulnerable factors including urban settings, migrant populations, urban slums, traditional health-seeking behavior, under-nutrition, alcohol/tobacco use, high burden of HIV and diabetes, elderly population with comorbidities, construction and industrial workforce, hilly and tribal areas, stone quarries, silk weavers, and workers in coffee estates and tea plantations. Additional Secretary Smt. Aradhana Patnaik highlighted the technological foundation supporting the campaign, with India scaling molecular testing from a few hundred machines a decade ago to over 11,000 today, supported by nearly 3,000 AI-enabled handheld X-ray units in the field.
Parliamentary Commitments and Way Forward
The MPs from Karnataka and Kerala reaffirmed their commitment to intensify awareness campaigns, stigma reduction efforts, and Ni-kshay Shivirs to promote early detection, especially among vulnerable groups. Parliamentarians will strengthen oversight of TB services at district and block levels to ensure quality diagnostics and patient-centric care. They will lead Jan Andolan to mobilize communities to provide nutritional, psychosocial, and livelihood assistance to those affected by TB. Minister Nadda provided MPs with specific oversight checkpoints to engage with District Collectors and health facilities, calling for intensified and active engagement from parliamentarians.