World TB Day: PM Modi launches initiatives to eliminate disease by 2025

PM Modi launched the TB-Mukt Panchayat initiative, a pan-India rollout of a shorter TB Preventive Treatment (TPT) and a family-centric care model for tuberculosis

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched several initiatives on Friday to eradicate tuberculosis on the occasion of World TB Day celebrated on March 24 annually.

He launched the TB-Mukt Panchayat initiative, a pan-India rollout of a shorter TB Preventive Treatment (TPT), and a family-centric care model for tuberculosis. He also released 'India's Annual TB Report 2023' while addressing the 'One World TB Summit' in Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.

He also laid the foundation stone of the National Centre for Disease Control and High Containment (BSL) Laboratory and unveiled the site for Metropolitan Public Health Surveillance Unit (MSU).

While addressing the One World TB Summit, PM Modi said that India's ideology of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbkam' is giving the modern world a comprehensive vision and solutions.

He further added that India is taking forward the vision of 'One Earth, One Health' and is realising the resolutions of global good with the 'One World TB Summit'.

PM Modi reiterated India's resolve to eliminate tuberculosis by 2025 as against the global target of 2030. 

Highlighting his government's achievement, PM Modi said that since 2014, India has been fighting against TB on many fronts such as public participation, special campaigns for nutrition, new strategies for treatment, intensive use of technology, and promoting good health through campaigns like Khelo India and Yoga.

PM Modi also underlined the use of trace, test, track, treat, and technology in the fight against the disease during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

He added that 80 per cent of tuberculosis medicines are made in India and he wants more countries to benefit from India's innovation and modern technology.

He underlined that India's localised approach has great global potential, and went on to praise India's 'Ni-kshay Mitra' to join the campaign of TB-free India. In this campaign, common citizens were asked to adopt TB Patients. PM said that so far, 1,000,000 TB patients have been adopted by Indian citizens for financial support.

Since 2018, nearly Rs 2,000 crore has been sent directly to the bank accounts of tuberculosis patients and about 7.5 million patients have benefited from it.

PM Modi awarded Karnataka and Jammu and Kashmir at the state level and Union Territory levels, and the Nilgiris, Pulwama, and Anantnag at the district level for their progress towards ending tuberculosis.

He further added that the government is starting a three-month programme for the prevention of tuberculosis instead of a six-month course.