New Delhi: India has made remarkable strides in its fight against tuberculosis (TB), with the country recording a 21 per cent decline in TB incidence between 2015 and 2024 — nearly double the global average reduction of 12 per cent, according to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global TB Report 2025.
The report highlights that India’s TB incidence has dropped from 237 cases per lakh population in 2015 to 187 cases per lakh in 2024 — a significant achievement for a nation that bears the world’s largest share of the disease burden. Announcing the findings on Wednesday, the Union Health Ministry described this as “a milestone in India’s collective and sustained battle against tuberculosis.”
Tuberculosis, a bacterial infection caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, primarily affects the lungs but can also damage other organs. Despite being curable and preventable, TB remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases. India, which accounts for more than a quarter of global TB cases, has been implementing an ambitious strategy to eliminate the disease by 2025 — five years ahead of the global target set for 2030.
Officials attributed the decline to the government’s multi-pronged approach combining early detection, patient-centric care, nutritional support, and digital tracking. Under the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP), India has expanded molecular testing, strengthened community-based interventions, and enhanced private-sector engagement to ensure timely diagnosis and treatment.
The introduction of the Ni-kshay digital platform has also played a crucial role in real-time case tracking, patient follow-up, and monitoring of treatment outcomes. “Our efforts to reach every patient and ensure uninterrupted treatment are showing results,” said a senior Health Ministry official.
Recognising that poverty and undernutrition are major risk factors for TB, India launched the Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana to provide direct nutritional support to patients. Since its inception, the scheme has delivered millions of monetary incentives to individuals undergoing treatment, helping them maintain better health and adherence to medication.
Experts note that community involvement, particularly through the “Ni-kshay Mitra” initiative — where individuals and organizations adopt TB patients to provide support — has been instrumental in reducing stigma and ensuring patient well-being.
Despite this progress, the WHO report cautions that challenges persist, especially in diagnosing and treating multi-drug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) and reaching marginalized populations in remote or urban-poor settings. Interruptions in treatment, social stigma, and lack of awareness continue to pose barriers to elimination.
India’s success, while commendable, must be sustained through continued investment in public health systems, expansion of laboratory networks, and integration of TB services with broader primary health care, experts say.
The WHO lauded India’s achievements, describing the country’s TB control strategy as a “model for scalable, people-centred innovation.”
“India’s progress demonstrates that with political will, technological innovation, and community participation, even a centuries-old disease like TB can be defeated,” the Union Health Ministry said in its statement.
