Centre working to eliminate tuberculosis by 2025

The central government is working to eradicate tuberculosis from India by 2015 besides taking active measures to eliminate diseases like kala-azar and measles from the country, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Saturday.

"By 2025, we wish to eliminate tuberculosis from India. We have taken up an ambitious universal immunisation programme delivered to 100 per cent people all over the country," the minister told media persons on the sidelines of the Rotary India Centennial Summit here.

He said to achieve the goal, the government's programme 'Mission Indradhanush' is already operational.

"We are also working for the elimination of many other diseases in the country like Kala-azar and measles," the minister said.

Referring to the Union government's Ayushman Bharat scheme, he called it an "ambitious programme, under which 1.5 lakh health and wellness centres will be set up across India by the end of 2022.

"So far, 30,000 are being set up and by March-end we will have around 40,000 centres", he said.