President Murmu Reaffirms India's Resolve to End TB by 2025

On the occasion of World Tuberculosis Day, observed annually on March 24th, President Droupadi Murmu underscored India's unwavering dedication to eradicate Tuberculosis (TB) by 2025, a goal set five years ahead of the global Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target of 2030. In her message, she acknowledged that TB continues to be a formidable global public health challenge, impacting millions of lives worldwide. However, she expressed satisfaction with the considerable progress achieved by the 'TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan' (TB Free India Campaign), launched to accelerate the country's fight against the disease. The President's message highlighted that the 'TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan' has made remarkable strides in expanding early diagnosis, ensuring free treatment, strengthening nutritional support, and improving overall patient care. These achievements, she emphasized, reflect India's shared determination and the robust framework of the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP). President Murmu called upon all stakeholders, including healthcare workers, communities, and citizens, to unite with a collective resolve to eliminate tuberculosis once and for all. World Tuberculosis Day 2026 is commemorated under the inspiring theme, 'Yes! We Can End TB!', which serves as a potent call to action and a message of hope, affirming the possibility of reversing the tide of the TB epidemic despite global challenges. This day also marks the historic discovery of the TB-causing bacterium, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, by Dr. Robert Koch on March 24, 1882, a breakthrough that paved the way for diagnosis and treatment of the disease. India's fight against TB is multifaceted and spearheaded by the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP), which encompasses a range of focused strategies. Key initiatives include the Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana, which provides ₹500 per month as nutritional support to TB patients through Direct Benefit Transfer, recognizing the critical link between nutrition and recovery. Another innovative approach is the 'Ni-kshay Mitra' initiative, a unique 'Jan Bhagidari' (people's participation) campaign where individuals and organizations adopt TB patients to provide essential nutritional and vocational support. Further intensifying these efforts, the Union government launched a new 100-day intensified campaign on World TB Day 2026. This campaign focuses on aggressive case detection, improved treatment adherence, and ensuring last-mile delivery of services, particularly in high-burden districts. As part of this renewed push, new digital and urban interventions were also introduced, including a 'TB Mukt Bharat App' for patient tracking and an 'Urban Ward Initiative' targeting densely populated areas where transmission rates are highest. Despite these commendable efforts and significant progress, India continues to grapple with the world's highest TB burden, accounting for approximately 25% of global TB cases. While there has been an encouraging decline in TB incidence, with a 21% reduction since 2015 and a 17.7% drop from 237 cases per 1 lakh people in 2015 to 195 in 2023, the ambitious 2025 elimination target remains a substantial challenge. In 2025, India recorded about 2.7 million TB cases, which is over four times the elimination target of 44 cases per 100,000 population. TB-related deaths have also seen a positive decline of 25% in the same period. Challenges persist in the form of diagnostic gaps, including a lack of access to testing kits, issues with machine maintenance, and an uneven distribution of technicians and health workers across the country. A critical focus for 2026 is also on identifying and treating asymptomatic TB patients, as national surveys indicate that nearly 50% of TB patients do not exhibit typical symptoms but can still transmit the infection. The threat of drug-resistant TB also necessitates continuous vigilance and updated treatment regimens. The government's strategy under NTEP emphasizes early detection, universal drug-susceptibility testing, free treatment, nutritional support, and digital monitoring systems, along with robust community engagement and targeted screening in vulnerable populations. President Murmu's message on World TB Day 2026 serves as a powerful reminder of India's commitment to overcoming this public health challenge through sustained collective action and innovative strategies, moving closer to the vision of a 'TB-Mukt Bharat'.

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