Union Health Ministry Engages MPs to Accelerate TB Elimination Efforts
Union Health Minister Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda interacted with Members of Parliament from Jharkhand and Odisha during the Monsoon Session of Parliament to strengthen efforts towards achieving a TB Mukt Bharat. The meeting, titled "Parliamentarians Championing a TB Mukt Bharat", included participation from Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare & Chemicals and Fertilizers Smt. Anupriya Patel and Union Minister of State for Defence Shri Sanjay Seth, bringing together Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs from both states across party lines.
The interaction 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, resulting in the detection of more than 7 lakh new TB cases and identification of 1.97 lakh asymptomatic TB cases that might otherwise have remained undetected.
State-Specific Performance and Targeted Strategies
Jharkhand and Odisha remain important focus states due to 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 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 states adopted targeted strategies including Ayushman Arogya Shivirs in urban slums, construction sites, migrant clusters, and mining areas to bring screening and care closer to vulnerable populations. Health Secretary Smt. Punya Salila Srivastava emphasized the need for continued intensified screening and targeted interventions among these vulnerable populations to sustain momentum toward TB elimination.
Technological Expansion and Infrastructure Development
Additional Secretary Smt. Aradhana Patnaik highlighted the significant technological foundation underpinning India's TB elimination efforts. Molecular testing capacity has expanded from a few hundred machines a decade ago to more than 9,000 machines currently, while nearly 3,000 AI-enabled handheld X-ray units are now supporting active case finding in the field.
India has made significant progress in TB elimination, recording a 21% decline in TB incidence between 2015 and 2024, nearly twice the global pace, along with a 92% treatment success rate according to the WHO Global TB Report 2025. The intensified focus on early detection, treatment, and patient support remains central to sustaining this momentum.
Parliamentary Commitment and Future Direction
Shri Nadda emphasized the importance of sustained political and administrative engagement, calling upon parliamentarians to play an active role in their constituencies by engaging with District Collectors and health facilities, reviewing availability and quality of TB services, and supporting efforts for early diagnosis and treatment. The participating MPs from Jharkhand and Odisha reaffirmed their commitment to intensifying awareness and stigma-reduction campaigns, promoting Ni-kshay Shivirs for early detection, and strengthening supportive supervision of TB services at district and block levels.
The parliamentarians also committed to mobilizing communities and organizations to provide nutritional, psychosocial, and livelihood support to people affected by TB, thereby strengthening the patient-centric approach to TB care. This interaction is part of a series of consultations being held by the Union Health Minister with Members of Parliament from different states to strengthen collective ownership and a whole-of-government approach towards achieving a TB Mukt Bharat.