“All services related to TB have been decentralised to the level of Ayushman Arogya Mandir,” Nadda added.Campaign-specific Information, Education, and Communication (IEC)materials have been disseminated to raise public awareness about symptoms, prevention, and the importance of timely treatment. Jan Bhagidari activities have also been launched, involving schools, panchayati raj institutions, self-help groups, anganwadis, local NGOs, and civil society organisations.The ministry has sensitised 22 government departments to actively support the campaign, alongside Members of Parliament (MPs), Chief Ministers, and State Health Ministers. Since the campaign’s launch, 110 MPs, 426 MLAs, and 27,949 elected Panchayati Raj representatives have participated.Further, 4,173 schools have conducted TB awareness sessions, while 12,402 activities have been held with various government departments. An additional 13,972 awareness programmes were organised with Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), trade associations, and business organisations. Moreover, 1,722 medical education sessions were conducted with private healthcare professionals.Screening and testing efforts have been expanded to 17,956 high-risk locations, including prisons, mines, tea gardens, industries, orphanages, and old-age homes. Additionally, 15,382 awareness activities have been conducted by community influencers, religious leaders, and faith-based organisations.”From the launch of the 100-day intensified TB elimination campaign in 347 districts, 4.94 lakh Ni-kshay Shivirs have been held, 5.63 crore vulnerable individuals have been screened, and 1.59 lakh new TB patients have been notified,” Nadda said. “Further, 86,748 new Ni-kshay Mitras have been registered, and 1.12 lakh food baskets have been disbursed to TB patients and their family members.”According to the World Health Organization’s Global Tuberculosis Report 2023, India remains the country with the highest TB burden globally, accounting for 26 per cent of the world’s cases. The report states that 2.8 million new TB cases were recorded in India in 2023, with an incidence rate of 195 per 1,00,000 people. Additionally, TB incidence among people living with HIV was estimated at 42,000 cases.
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