India's TB Elimination Mission: Target 2030 (Health, Diseases and Biotechnology)
India's TB Elimination Mission: Target 2030 (Health, Diseases and Biotechnology)
Why In News:
The Union Health Minister reviewed India's progress toward TB elimination, reaffirming the national target of eliminating Tuberculosis by 2030, in line with the global Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target of 2030, after India's earlier self-imposed 2025 target (five years ahead of SDG) could not be fully met.
Source: PIB, 29 July 2026 - 'TB Elimination Mission - Target 2030'
https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2291403®=48&lang=2
About the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP)
In 2020, the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) was renamed as NTEP, with the aim of eliminating TB in India by 2025, five years ahead of the global target of 2030.
The programme is guided by the National Strategic Plan (2017–2025), based on four pillars: Detect, Treat, Prevent, and Build (DTPB).
NTEP emphasises early diagnosis, quality treatment, private sector engagement, contact tracing in high-risk areas, and addressing social determinants of health through a multi-sectoral approach.
The mBPaL regimen (Bedaquiline, Pretomanid, Linezolid) offers around 80% success rate for MDR-TB and reduces the treatment duration to six months.
Achievements so far
Reduction in TB Incidence and Mortality: According to the WHO Global TB Report 2024, India’s TB incidence declined by 18%- from 237 per lakh population in 2015 to 195 per lakh in 2023- more than double the global decline of 8%.
TB-related deaths also fell by 21%, from 28 to 22 per lakh population.
Improved Treatment Coverage: Treatment coverage has increased to 85%, indicating the effectiveness of the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP) and expanded decentralized care through around 1.7 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs.
Key Facts About Tuberculosis (TB)
About: TB is a bacterial infection caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, primarily affecting the lungs and spreading through the air. It is both preventable and curable with appropriate antibiotics.
Around 25% of the global population is infected, but only 5–10% develop active disease and symptoms.
Risk Factors: Include weakened immunity, diabetes, malnutrition, tobacco use, and alcohol consumption.
Diagnosis: The WHO recommends rapid molecular tests as the first-line diagnostic tool for symptomatic individuals. Other methods include sputum smear microscopy and chest X-rays.
Transmission: TB spreads via the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or spits, releasing infectious droplets that others may inhale.
Multidrug-Resistant TB (MDR-TB): TB that is resistant to key first-line drugs (isoniazid and rifampicin), requiring longer and more expensive treatment.
Extensively Drug-Resistant TB (XDR-TB): A more severe form with very limited treatment options.
Progress So Far
India has recorded roughly a 21% decline in TB incidence and a comparable reduction in TB mortality since 2015, outperforming the global average decline.
AI-based diagnosis and community-driven screening, including portable X-rays and molecular testing (NAAT), have improved case detection, especially of asymptomatic patients.
Treatment success rates under the Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan have reached around 90%, above the global average.
Key Facts for Prelims
TB elimination (as per WHO definition) means fewer than one notified TB case per million population per year, a far stricter benchmark than mere incidence reduction.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for TB aim at an 80% reduction in incidence, 90% reduction in mortality, and zero catastrophic costs for TB patients.