New Delhi, Dec 4 (PTI) Union Health Minister J P Nadda chaired a high-level interaction with MPs from Bihar at the Extended Parliament House Annexe on Thursday as part of the intensified outreach under the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan.
The meeting comes on the heels of similar engagements with MPs from Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra over the last two days, with further state-level consultations planned in the coming weeks to strengthen collective efforts against tuberculosis.
Thursday’s meeting was marked by the presence of Union Minister of Textiles Giriraj Singh, Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying and Panchayati Raj Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ram Nath Thakur, Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti Raj Bhushan Choudhary, Union Minister of State for Coal and Mines Satish Chandra Dubey, in addition to the parliamentarians from Bihar.
Bringing together Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs from different parties, the engagement — “Parliamentarians Championing a TB-Mukt Bharat” — reinforced a unified political resolve to fast-track progress towards eliminating TB from India, a health ministry statement said.
Addressing the gathering, Nadda highlighted India’s accelerated progress in TB elimination, noting that the country has recorded a 21-per cent decline in TB incidence between 2015 and 2024, almost double the global average, along with a 90-per cent treatment success rate, surpassing the worldwide average.
He emphasised that Bihar’s significant advancements in screening, community-level outreach and patient support will play a pivotal role in further strengthening India’s national progress.
The health minister urged the MPs to assume leadership in driving the “Jan Andolan” for TB elimination by deepening awareness and stigma-reduction efforts in their constituencies and promoting early detection through Ni-kshay shivirs and community-based screening, including among asymptomatic vulnerable groups.
He called for strengthening the oversight of the quality TB services at the district and block levels and encouraging community participation and mobilising Ni-kshay mitras for nutritional, psychosocial and livelihood support to TB patients.
Nadda underscored that the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan is not just a health initiative but a people-led movement, powered by collective will and proactive political stewardship.
The MPs from Bihar reiterated their commitment to ensuring increased awareness, quality diagnostics and that patient-centric care reaches the grassroots level, while energising communities to participate in the nationwide movement for TB elimination.
Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava outlined India’s evolving strategy, including a scale-up of AI-enabled diagnostics, intensified screening and enhanced patient support for improved outcomes, the statement said.
Aradhana Patnaik, Additional Secretary and Mission Director, National Health Mission, presented the achievements under the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan and highlighted areas where parliamentary leadership could further strengthen Bihar’s response, it said.
The interaction marked yet another milestone in the ministry’s ongoing efforts to build political consensus and grassroots momentum towards ensuring a TB-free Bihar and a TB-free India.
Guided by the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bihar’s parliamentarians reaffirmed their commitment to accelerating progress towards a TB-free India, ensuring that political will translates into transformative action at the grassroots level, the statement said. PTI PLB RC
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