By: IPP Bureau
Last updated : June 20, 2026 12:35 pm
Over 28 crore people screened, TB incidence falls sharply as Centre urges states to intensify efforts ahead of July campaign deadline
Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, J.P. Nadda chaired a high-level review meeting with Health Ministers and senior officials from States and Union Territories to assess progress under the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan and accelerate efforts towards achieving a tuberculosis-free India.
Reviewing the second phase of the intensified 100-Day TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, scheduled to conclude in the first week of July 2026, Nadda described it as a critical last-mile effort to identify every missing tuberculosis case and ensure that vulnerable populations are not left behind.
Highlighting India's progress in TB control, Nadda noted that the country's TB incidence has declined from 243 cases per lakh population in 2014 to 187 cases per lakh in 2024, while TB mortality has fallen from 34 per lakh population to 21 per lakh during the same period.
He informed that more than 28.1 crore people have been screened, 20 lakh individuals have received TB preventive treatment, and over 5.7 lakh new Nikshay Mitras have been added since December 2024 under the intensified campaign.
"The campaign marks a paradigm shift in our TB control strategy. We are no longer waiting for patients to come to health facilities. We are proactively reaching communities, villages, urban wards and congregate settings to identify vulnerable individuals and detect cases early," Nadda said.
Calling for intensified action during the final phase of the campaign, the Union Health Minister urged states to conduct district-wise reviews, accelerate screening among high-risk populations, and strengthen nutritional support for TB patients to improve treatment outcomes and reduce mortality.
The review revealed that more than 1.7 lakh Ayushman Arogya Shivirs have been organized under the second phase of the campaign, covering over 1.20 lakh high-risk villages, wards and congregate settings. Community participation has also been significant, with around 32 lakh students and youth and nearly 1.9 lakh My Bharat volunteers supporting awareness and screening activities.
Officials informed the meeting that X-ray screening has increased 34-fold since the launch of the intensified campaign, aided by the large-scale deployment of handheld X-ray machines. A dedicated monitoring dashboard integrated with the TB Mukt Bharat App is being used to track progress in real time.