Indias fight against TB is achieving remarkable momentum: PM Modi
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said Indias fight against TB is achieving remarkable momentum. Citing the World Health Organisation (WHO) Global tuberculosis report 2025, he said, it highlights that India has recorded a commendable reduction in TB incidence since 2015, and it is nearly twice the global rate of decline. This is one of the sharpest drops seen anywhere in the world. Equally heartening is the expansion of treatment coverage, the fall in missing cases and the sustained rise in treatment success, the PM posted on X. India sees 21% decline in tuberculosis incidence, double of global pace: WHO https://t.co/a2i1YlqRRN via NaMo App pic.twitter.com/lo814S8KYw PMO India (@PMOIndia) November 13, 2025 Complimenting those who have worked towards achieving the success, the prime minister said, We remain committed to ensuring a healthy and fit India! India aims to eliminate TB by 2025, ahead of the global target of 2030. Union Health Minister JP Nadda said on X: Under the visionary leadership of Honble PM @narendramodi, India has emerged as a global frontrunner in the fight against TB! The @WHO has acknowledged Indias remarkable progress of reducing TB incidence by 21% since 2015, nearly twice the global rate. Treatment coverage now stands at 92%, with a 90% success rate, placing India far ahead of others. This success is powered by Jan Andolan for #TBMuktBharat. In 2024, India detected 26.18 lakh TB patients: highest ever in a year. Modern technology has been a game changer: portable, AI-enabled X-rays and decentralised NAAT testing are detecting cases faster, cutting transmission and saving lives. Together, through true Jan Bhagidari, we are moving closer to a TB-free India, Nadda said. According to the WHO Global Tuberculosis Report 2025,India is among eight countries accounting for 67 % of total TB cases in 2024. In 2024, 87% of the global number of people who developed TB disease was concentrated in 30 countries. Just eight of them accounted for 67% of the global total: India (25%), Indonesia (10%), the Philippines (6.8%), China (6.5%), Pakistan (6.3%), Nigeria (4.8%), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (3.9%) and Bangladesh (3.6%). The global report released Wednesday said India alone accounted for 28% of deaths globally caused by TB among HIV-negative people, while the country accounted for 25% of deaths among people with or without HIV in 2024. According to the Union Health Ministry, Indias TB incidence (new cases emerging each year) reduced by 21% - from 237 per lakh population in 2015 to 187 per lakh population in 2024 - at almost double the pace of the decline observed globally at 12 %. Citing the Global TB Report 2025, the ministry said, This is one of the highest declines in TB incidence globally, outpacing reductions noted among other high-burden countries. Indias innovative case finding approach, driven by the swift uptake of newer technologies, decentralization of services and large scale community mobilization, has led to the countrys treatment coverage to surge to over 92% in 2024, from 53% in 2015 with 26.18 lakh TB patients being diagnosed in 2024, out of an estimated incidence of 27 lakh cases. This has helped reduce the number of missing cases those who had TB but were not reported to the programme from an estimated 15 lakhs in 2015 to less than one lakh in 2024. Also, there is no significant increase in the number of MDR TB patients in the country. Treatment success rate under the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan increases to 90%, ahead of the global treatment success rate of 88%, according to the ministry statement. Similarly, Indias TB mortality rate has decreased from 28 per lakh population in 2015 to 21 per lakh population in 2024, reflecting significant progress in reducing deaths due to TB. This progress has been achieved through strong government commitment, evidenced by a historic near-ten-fold increase in government funding to the TB programme over the last 09 years, the statement added. Since its launch in December 2024, Indias flagship TB elimination mission, the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, has achieved extensive reach, screening over 19 crore vulnerable individuals for TB across the country, leading to the detection of over 24.5 lakh TB patients, including 8.61 lakh asymptomatic TB cases. This proactive approach draws on both global and local evidence underscoring the prevalence of asymptomatic (sub-clinical) TB in high-burden settings, it added. Indias commitment to early detection is backed by the largest TB laboratory network in the world, comprising 9391 rapid molecular testing facilities and 107 culture & drug susceptibility testing laboratories, the ministry said. In addition, it said, to bolster community screening efforts, over 500 AI-enabled hand-held chest x-ray units are available across the country, with an additional 1,500 machines being delivered to the States/UTs. Through 1.78 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs across the country, the programme has been able to decentralize services and take TB care closer to communities. The ministry said they have also expanded nutritional support provided to TB patients. The Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) under the Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana (NPY) was increased from Rs. 500 to Rs. 1000 per month per patient for the entire treatment duration. Since its launch in April 2018, Rs. 4,406 crores have been disbursed directly into the bank accounts of 1.37crore beneficiaries. Furthermore, to date, 6,77,541 individuals and organizations have enrolled as Ni-kshay Mitras and distributed over 45 lakh food baskets to TB patients, reflecting a strong and growing public-private-community partnership in Indias fight against TB. In a strong demonstration of whole-of-society engagement, the ministry has also harnessed the energy of over two lakh youth volunteers to strengthen community participation in the fight against TB. Over two lakh My Bharat volunteers have come forward to serve as Ni-kshay Mitras, providing psychosocial support and encouragement to TB patients across the country. This vibrant youth-led movement reflects Indias commitment to making TB elimination a peoples movement and ensuring that no patient feels alone on their journey to recovery, the statement said. The ministry has also scaled up a differentiated TB care approach across the country, whereby high-risk TB patients are identified based on clinical parameters and presence of co-morbidities that impact treatment outcomes and are accordingly provided individualised and tailored treatment to ensure recovery. Also the ASHA workers have been trained to identify early warning signs in TB patients in their areas for referring the TB patients immediately to higher treatment facilities. The ministry said the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan will continue to focus on proactively screening all vulnerable populations, including asymptomatics and individuals in congregate settings through hand-held X-rays, early detection of all patients using upfront molecular diagnostics and providing them with comprehensive high-quality care, treatment, nutritional and psychosocial support to ensure full recovery and prevention of community transmission. This integrated approach will further reduce TB incidence and mortality, bringing the country closer to the goal of a TB-Mukt Bharat, it added.
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