Union Health Minister Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda interacted with Members of Parliament from Jharkhand and Odisha on August 12, 2026, as part of the government's continued engagement to accelerate efforts towards a TB Mukt Bharat. The interaction, held under the theme "Parliamentarians Championing a TB Mukt Bharat", brought together Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs from both states across party lines to strengthen the fight against tuberculosis through political leadership, community participation, and last-mile delivery of services.
The meeting reviewed progress under the recently concluded 100-Day TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, which was implemented in two phases to accelerate TB elimination efforts. The second phase, launched on March 24, 2026, covered nearly 1.58 lakh high-risk villages and urban wards across the country and concluded in July 2026. During the campaign, over 2.2 crore vulnerable individuals were screened, more than 7 lakh new TB cases were detected, and 1.97 lakh asymptomatic TB cases were identified—cases that may otherwise have remained undetected.
Jharkhand and Odisha remain important focus states given the presence of several TB risk factors, including mining and industrial belts, occupational dust exposure, migrant and tribal populations, malnutrition, urban slums, comorbidities, tobacco and alcohol consumption, and informal and labour settlements. During the 100-Day campaign, Jharkhand notified 16,754 TB patients, including 4,574 asymptomatic cases, while Odisha notified 15,268 patients, including 3,514 asymptomatic cases.
The technological expansion of India's TB programme has significantly strengthened detection efforts. Molecular testing capacity has expanded from a few hundred machines a decade ago to more than 9,000 machines, while nearly 3,000 AI-enabled handheld X-ray units are now supporting active case finding in the field. The states adopted targeted strategies including Ayushman Arogya Shivirs in urban slums, construction sites, migrant clusters, and mining areas to reach vulnerable populations.
Shri Nadda emphasised the importance of sustained political and administrative engagement, highlighting innovative case-finding strategies, early diagnosis, patient-centric care, and community participation as critical pillars of India's accelerated TB elimination strategy. He called upon parliamentarians to play an active role in their constituencies by engaging with District Collectors and health facilities, reviewing TB service availability and quality, and supporting early diagnosis and treatment efforts.
The participating MPs from Jharkhand and Odisha reaffirmed their commitment to intensifying awareness and stigma-reduction campaigns, promoting Ni-kshay Shivirs for early detection among vulnerable populations, and strengthening supportive supervision of TB services at district and block levels. They also committed to mobilising communities and organisations to provide nutritional, psychosocial, and livelihood support to people affected by TB.
Health Secretary Smt. Punya Salila Srivastava highlighted focused efforts in Jharkhand and Odisha to address TB among vulnerable populations, including communities in mining and industrial areas, migrant and tribal populations, urban settlements, and groups requiring additional support due to factors such as malnutrition and comorbidities. Additional Secretary Smt. Aradhana Patnaik presented an overview of both states' performance across key indicators including TB notifications, treatment success, preventive therapy coverage, and progress against national TB elimination benchmarks.