PM Modi calls for scaling up early detection to eliminate TB by 2025

India accounts for 26 per cent of global TB burden; PM highlights technology use, infrastructure expansion and targeted outreach as key to meeting 2025 goal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday called for scaling up targeted interventions and successful strategies in early detection to eliminate tuberculosis (TB), while chairing a high-level meeting to review progress under the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP).

 

This comes even as India has set 2025 as its target year for TB elimination—five years ahead of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) target of 2030.

 

The Prime Minister highlighted the need to analyse the trends of TB patients based on urban or rural areas and their occupations. “This will help identify groups that need early testing and treatment, especially workers in construction, mining, textile mills, and similar fields,” he said. 

 

Emphasising the improvement of technology in healthcare, PM Modi called upon Ni-kshay Mitras, or volunteers who support TB patients, to use technology to connect with patients and help them understand the disease and its treatment using interactive and easy-to-use methods.

 

According to the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) Global Tuberculosis Report 2024, India tops the list of 30 high-burden TB countries, accounting for 26 per cent of the global TB burden.

 

The same report, however, also points to an 18 per cent reduction in TB incidence in India—from 237 to 195 per 100,000 population—between 2015 and 2023, which is nearly double the global pace of around 9 per cent.

 

It also indicates that TB mortality in India fell by 21 per cent, while treatment coverage rose to 85 per cent.

 

The PM also reviewed key infrastructure enhancements under the NTEP, which included the expansion of the TB diagnostic network to 8,540 Nucleic Acid Amplification Testing (NAAT) labs, 87 culture and drug susceptibility labs, and over 26,700 X-ray units. These include 500 AI-enabled handheld X-ray devices, with another 1,000 in the pipeline. 

 

Officials also presented updates on new initiatives such as a shorter treatment regimen for drug-resistant TB, newer indigenous molecular diagnostics, and nutrition interventions under the PM Ni-kshay scheme.

 

Launched in 2018, the scheme provides financial support to TB patients through direct benefit payments of Rs 1,000 per month to help them afford nutritious food during their treatment.

 

“Under the initiative, 2.94 million food baskets have been distributed by 255,000 Ni-kshay Mitras,” a statement by the Prime Minister’s Office said.

 

The recently concluded 100-day TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, which screened 129.7 million people in 445 high-focus and aspirational districts across India, was also discussed in the meeting.

 

According to data from the Union Health Ministry, the campaign led to the detection of around 719,000 new TB cases, of which 285,000 were asymptomatic.