India's TB Elimination: 38% Mortality Decline and 94% Drug-Susceptible Treatment Success

The news

India has recorded a 38% reduction in estimated tuberculosis mortality since 2015, compared with a 35% global decline, and a 94% treatment success rate among patients with drug-susceptible tuberculosis, according to the World Health Organization's Global Tuberculosis Report 2026 released on 12 November 2026. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said the figures reflect progress under the National TB Elimination Programme, which combines early detection, rapid diagnostics, nutritional support and community outreach.

The estimated TB mortality rate fell from 28 per lakh of the population in 2015 to 18 per lakh in 2025, the report states. Between 7 December 2024 and 8 November 2026, the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan brought over 25 crore people under screening activities, conducted more than 11 crore chest X-rays and over 3 crore nucleic acid amplification tests, and detected 48.64 lakh new TB cases, including 14.97 lakh asymptomatic cases. Officials said 96% of the TB programme's funding requirements were met through domestic resources.

What is the National TB Elimination Programme?

The National TB Elimination Programme is the Government of India's centrally sponsored programme for tuberculosis control, run by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. It was earlier known as the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme, which began in 1993, and was renamed the National TB Elimination Programme in 2020. India's National Strategic Plan 2017–2025 set the goal of eliminating TB in the country by 2025, ahead of the global target of 2030 under the Sustainable Development Goals. The programme operates through a network of district tuberculosis centres and designated microscopy centres, and it is supported by the Nikshay web-based case-based monitoring system launched in 2012. The Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana, which provides direct benefit transfers for nutritional support to TB patients, was launched in April 2018.

How was the mortality decline measured?

The WHO report used evidence from multiple sources, including the Registrar General of India's Sample Registration System, community-based verbal autopsy assessments and programme data from the Ni-kshay portal, to strengthen TB mortality estimation. The Indian Council of Medical Research–National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis conducted a nationally representative TB prevalence survey in 2025; its findings are under technical discussion with WHO before an updated country profile is published.

What did the screening campaigns achieve and what remains?

The first intensified 100-day campaign began on 7 December 2024 across 347 high-priority districts in 33 States and Union Territories and was later expanded nationwide. A second campaign launched on 24 March 2026 focused on 1.58 lakh high-risk villages and wards, congregate settings and vulnerable populations. The detection of nearly 15 lakh asymptomatic cases shows the effectiveness of proactive screening in identifying individuals who might otherwise remain undiagnosed, officials said. In 2025, 67,933 panchayats were declared TB-free.

What patient support and technology are being used?

Under the Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana, eligible patients receive financial assistance towards nutritional requirements during treatment, while the Ni-kshay Mitra initiative mobilises nutritional and psychosocial support. The Ni-kshay digital platform supports patient tracking and treatment monitoring. AI tools are used for hotspot identification, prediction of high-risk cases and a chatbot called Khushi. The JOSH Teams initiative, involving designated Class-I officers, five NCC cadets and five My Bharat volunteers at block and ward levels, aims to strengthen youth participation in the elimination movement.