NEW DELHI: The power of India's youth must be leveraged to make TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan a nationwide people's movement, said Union Health Minister JP Nadda on Tuesday.
For this, he suggested the need to scale up youth and NCC volunteer engagement and further involving defence personnel and cadets for community engagements.
Chairing a high-level inter-ministerial meeting with the Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, and Labour and Employment Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, and Union Minister of State, Ministry of Defence Sanjay Seth, the union health minister said that the active participation of youth and all stakeholders is essential to achieve a TB-Mukt Bharat.
“The active participation of young people, community organisations, educational institutions, workplaces and government departments will be instrumental in accelerating awareness, early detection, treatment adherence and patient support in reaching the national goal of a TB-Mukt Bharat,” he said.
In the meeting, which was held to strengthen convergence and accelerate the implementation of the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan through a whole-of-government approach, Nadda urged the ministries to scale up youth and NCC volunteer engagement, secure TB screening at workplaces, and expand community outreach through defence personnel and cadets.
Addressing the meeting, Nadda highlighted the remarks of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the recent PRAGATI review meeting in which the PM had underscored the need to harness the power of India's youth to transform the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan into a nationwide people's movement.
In line with this vision, Nadda emphasised that achieving the goal of eliminating tuberculosis requires a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, with every ministry, institution and stakeholder contributing through their respective strengths and outreach.
He noted that the active participation of young people, community organisations, educational institutions, workplaces and government departments will be instrumental in accelerating awareness, early detection, treatment adherence and patient support, thereby advancing the national goal of a TB-Mukt Bharat.
Nadda urged the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to scale up the engagement of MY Bharat volunteers and National Cadet Corps (NCC) cadets in the campaign, building on the existing TB Mukt Bharat Toli model.
He asked the ministry to expand volunteer-led mobilization for screening camps, strengthen the Experiential Learning Programme pathway that trains volunteers as Lead Ni-kshay Mitras, and deepen youth-led awareness efforts in schools, colleges, and communities.
From the Ministry of Defence, the health minister sought continued and expanded support from NCC cadets and defence personnel in community awareness rallies, mobilization for screening camps, household contact education, and nutrition support drives for TB patients, along with the integration of TB awareness into existing NCC training camps, special occasions like Republic Day and Independence Day activities, adventure camps and rural outreach programmes.
At the meeting, Mandaviya suggested a stronger institutional convergence and coordinated action to add further impetus to the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan.
He highlighted that the country has nearly six lakh undergraduate medical students and around two lakh postgraduate medical students, constituting a large pool of trained human resources that can be meaningfully engaged in the campaign through medical colleges across the country.
To further strengthen coordination at the district level, he suggested that candidates from the Pratibha Setu programme may be suitably engaged in the District TB Coordination Committee.
He noted that around 600 officers under the programme could serve as effective coordinators between the centre, the deans of medical colleges and the state government's District TB Officers, thus ensuring better planning, implementation and monitoring of TB elimination activities at the district level.
Mandaviya, who is a former union health minister, also emphasised the importance of bringing the Union Education Ministry on board to further strengthen coordination with medical colleges, educational institutions and youth networks, enabling wider participation and reinforcing the whole-of-government approach towards achieving the goal of a TB-Mukt Bharat.
The TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, launched in December 2024, has significantly accelerated India's efforts towards tuberculosis elimination through active case finding, enhanced patient support and a whole-of-government approach.
Since its launch, more than 28 crore vulnerable individuals have been screened for TB across the country, leading to the notification of over 39 lakh TB patients.
Notably, 12.93 lakh asymptomatic TB patients were identified through active screening using chest X-rays, enabling early diagnosis of individuals who would otherwise have remained undetected and continued transmitting the disease within their communities.
The campaign has also strengthened patient-centric support mechanisms.
More than 5.7 lakh Ni-kshay Mitras have registered under the initiative and have distributed 38.9 lakh nutrition baskets to TB patients.
In addition, over 20 lakh patients have been assessed and provided individualized support under the programme's differentiated care approach, ensuring that treatment and care are tailored to their clinical and social needs.
The meeting focused on enhancing inter-sectoral coordination to expand the reach of tuberculosis (TB) prevention, early detection, treatment adherence, nutritional support, and community participation, while leveraging the institutional strengths and extensive outreach networks of the participating ministries.
To enhance workplace-based TB interventions, discussions focused on developing a TB-free workplace framework by integrating TB screening into occupational health practices, particularly in high-risk sectors such as mining, construction, textiles, transport and among migrant workers.
Emphasises was also given to mobilising employers, trade unions and labour welfare institutions, including the Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) and the Directorate General Factory Advice Service and Labour Institutes (DGFASLI), to facilitate workplace screening, ensure continuity of treatment and promote supportive measures for workers undergoing TB treatment.
The meeting was attended by Punya Salila Srivastava, Secretary, Union Health Ministry; Dr. Pallavi Jain Govil, Secretary, Department of Youth Affairs; Hari Ranjan Rao, Secretary, Department of Sports; Aradhana Patnaik, Additional Secretary and MD, National Health Mission; Vice Admiral Arti Sarin, DG, Armed Force Medical College; Dr. Priyanka Shukla, CEO, MY Bharat and senior officials from the these ministries.
