Committed to end TB by 2025: PM launches TB-Mukt Panchayat initiative

VARANASI: Over the last nine years, public participation through initiatives like 'Ni-kshay Mitra' has played a very important role in the fight against tuberculosis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday.

The Prime Minister said this after launching TB-Mukt Panchayat initiative, the official pan-India rollout of a shorter preventive treatment and family-centric care model for TB and release of India's Annual TB Report 2023. The Prime Minister was addressing the 'One World TB Summit' in Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.

The Prime Minister emphasised that India's new vision and approach should be known by the whole world.

"In the last nine years, India has worked together on many fronts in this fight against TB. Such as through people's participation, enhancing nutrition, treatment through innovation, full use of technology, and wellness and prevention, and missions like Fit India, Khelo India and Yoga," he said.

He stressed that public participation has played a very important role in the fight against tuberculosis.

"We had urged people to adopt a TB patient, under 'Ni-kshay Mitra'. After this mission, close to 10 lakh TB patients have been adopted by the common people of India. You will be surprised to know that even 10-12-year old children in India are contributing to the fight by becoming 'Ni-kshay Mitra'. The economic assistance of these Ni-kshay Mitra' has crossed more than 1 lakh crore. Such a huge community initiative running in India is very inspiring," PM Modi said.

The Prime Minister said that around 2 lakh crore have been directly sent into the accounts of 75 lakh patients through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT)
"We connected the patients through Ayushman Bharat, we have increased the number of TB laboratories, and we have also increased focus on specific areas having more TB patients. Under this, our initiative is 'TB Mukt Panchayat', where the representatives will take a resolution that not a single TB patient will be there in the village," he added

PM Modi further added, "2030 is the global target to eradicate TB but India is now working on the target of ending TB by the year 2025. India's local approach against TB has global potential. 80 per cent of TB medicines are manufactured in India which exhibits the talent and capability of our pharma which is working for the Global Good".

The prime minster also distributed awards to selected States and Union Territories and districts for their progress towards ending TB at the 'One World TB Summit' in Varanasi.

Addressing the event, prime minister Modi said, "It is a matter of happiness that this summit is happening in Kashi. Kashi is that everlasting flow, which has been a witness of people's hard work. It shows that however, difficult the situation is, if everybody tries, then a way definitely comes out".

He added that India's vision of 'Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam' is giving an integrated vision and integrated solution to the whole world.

"Based on that, India has also kept this year's theme as 'One Earth One Family One Future'. This theme is a commitment of a combined future of the whole world as a family. Some time ago, India also took the initiative to take forward the vision of 'One Earth, One Health' and now through 'One World TB Summit' India is fulfilling another resolution of Global Good," PM Modi said.