Union Health Minister JP Nadda Holds Strategic Meeting with Rajasthan MPs to Fast-Track TB Mukt Bharat Mission
HEALTH
New Delhi: Union Health Minister Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda on Tuesday held a high-level interaction with Members of Parliament from Rajasthan to accelerate India’s ambitious goal of achieving a TB Mukt Bharat (Tuberculosis-Free India). The meeting comes close on the heels of similar strategic discussions with MPs from Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Bihar held last week.
The engagement is part of the Centre’s renewed push to strengthen political leadership and grassroots coordination in the nationwide fight against tuberculosis (TB)—one of India’s most persistent public health challenges.
Political Leadership Key to Ending TB by 2025
During the meeting, the Health Minister emphasized the critical role elected representatives play in driving awareness, improving early detection, and ensuring treatment compliance at the district and block levels. MPs were urged to actively supervise TB control programs in their constituencies and promote community participation.
India has set an ambitious target to eliminate tuberculosis by 2025, five years ahead of the global deadline set by the World Health Organization (WHO).
“Political ownership and local leadership will be decisive in turning TB Mukt Bharat into a national reality,” sources familiar with the meeting said.
Focus on High-Burden States
With Rajasthan now added to the ongoing consultative process, the Centre is systematically engaging with MPs from high TB-burden states. Last week’s meetings with parliamentarians from Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Bihar focused on identifying bottlenecks in diagnosis, nutrition support, medicine delivery, and patient follow-up mechanisms.
Health officials highlighted the significant impact of flagship programs such as:
Nikshay Poshan Yojana
Active Case Finding (ACF) Drives
Digital Tracking through Nikshay Portal
Community Engagement via Ni-kshay Mitras
Multi-Sectoral Approach to TB Elimination
The government’s TB elimination strategy now goes beyond hospitals and clinics. It involves:
Local administration
NGOs
Corporate CSR partners
Elected representatives
Community health workers
The objective is to ensure early detection, uninterrupted treatment, nutritional support, and stigma reduction—all crucial elements in breaking the transmission cycle.
India’s TB Elimination Mission Gains Momentum
India carries the world’s highest TB burden, accounting for nearly 27% of global cases. However, recent government data indicates a steady decline in TB incidence due to aggressive screening and patient-centric care models.
With continuous political engagement and cross-state coordination, the Centre believes that India is firmly on track to meet its TB elimination by 2025 target.
