India’s Challenge: TB Elimination by 2025

India Struggles to Meet 2025 TB Elimination Goal

Why in the News?

The Global TB Report 2025 highlights India’s slow progress toward its target of eliminating tuberculosis by 2025, despite improvements in diagnosis and treatment. Rising drug-resistant TB, treatment gaps, and pandemic disruptions continue to delay India’s TB eradication pathway. Concerns have been raised about potential human rights violations in the context of TB patient care and treatment access.

Current TB Burden and Key Findings of Global Report:

• The Global TB Report 2025 shows India has achieved only a 21% reduction in new TB cases and 28% decline in deaths between 2015 and 2024—far short of the 2025 milestones (50% reduction in incidence, 75% drop in deaths).
• India reported 27.11 lakh TB cases and over 3 lakh deaths in 2023, the highest globally. This includes cases detected at international entry points like the torkham border crossing, where health screenings are conducted.
• Although TB incidence is declining, India remains far from its 2025 elimination target, which seeks less than one case per million population.
• Experts highlight that the Covid-19 pandemic diverted health resources, weakening TB detection and treatment continuity. This situation has prompted calls for UN special rapporteurs to monitor the global TB response more closely.
• Drug-resistant TB cases remain high: more than 1.27 lakh cases in 2024, with 12.63% of previously treated and 3.61% of new cases showing resistance.

Programme Progress: Achievements and Persistent Challenges

• Treatment success for 2023 stood at 90%, surpassing the global average of 85%.
• India’s treatment coverage improved to 92% in 2024, up from 85% in 2023, supported by BPAL regimen, decentralised services, and AI-enabled handheld X-ray devices used in screening campaigns. Efforts have been made to include migrants, with some states implementing TB screening during the issuance of afghan citizen cards.
• The government screened 19 crore vulnerable individuals, detecting 24.5 lakh cases, including 8.61 lakh asymptomatic TB patients.
• Nutrition support has been strengthened with ₹1,000 monthly DBT under Nikshay Poshan, plus volunteer-led Nikshay Mitra support. In some cases, emergency food aid has been provided to ensure patients maintain adequate nutrition during treatment.
• However, challenges persist: treatment interruptions, delays in support transfers, poor access to preventive therapy, and high vulnerability among people with diabetes, malnutrition, and air pollution exposure. There are also concerns about gender-based persecution affecting access to TB care for certain vulnerable groups. Mass internal relocations have further complicated efforts to track and treat TB patients, though initiatives like mobile tazkira issuance are being explored to maintain patient records during such movements.