Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda has reaffirmed India’s commitment to eliminating tuberculosis ahead of global targets, as he chaired the national launch event for World TB Day 2026 in Greater Noida on March 24.
Marking the occasion, he launched an intensified 100-day TB Mukt Bharat campaign, which will cover 1.58 lakh villages and urban wards through targeted, microplanned interventions aimed at early detection and improved treatment access. Observed annually on March 24, World TB Day serves as a global call to end tuberculosis. This year’s theme, “Yes! We Can End TB!”, reflects renewed focus on collective action and accelerated efforts.
Addressing the event, Nadda said India’s TB elimination programme has evolved into a people-driven movement under the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with community participation playing a central role. He noted that the country has recorded a 21 per cent decline in TB incidence and a 25 per cent reduction in TB mortality over the past decade, surpassing global trends. He highlighted that treatment coverage has reached 92 per cent, while undetected TB cases have reduced sharply from over 10 lakh annually to less than one lakh, reflecting strengthened case-finding mechanisms.
Under the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, launched in December 2024, over 20 crore vulnerable individuals have been screened, leading to the detection of 32.65 lakh TB cases. Notably, around 10.9 lakh of these were asymptomatic patients, indicating improved identification of hidden infections.