Active participation of youth and all stakeholders is essential to achieve a TB-Mukt Bharat: Union Health Minister

Jagat Prakash Nadda yesterday chaired a high-level inter-ministerial meeting with the Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports, Labour & Employment Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, and Union Minister of State, Ministry of Defence Shri Sanjay Seth to strengthen convergence and accelerate the implementation of the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan through a whole-of-government approach.

Addressing the meeting, Union Health Minister Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda highlighted the remarks of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi during the recent PRAGATI review meeting, wherein the Prime Minister underscored the need to harness the power of India's youth to transform the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan into a nationwide people's movement. In line with this vision, Shri Nadda emphasised that achieving the goal of eliminating tuberculosis requires a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, with every Ministry, institution and stakeholder contributing through their respective strengths and outreach. He noted that the active participation of young people, community organisations, educational institutions, workplaces and government departments will be instrumental in accelerating awareness, early detection, treatment adherence and patient support, thereby advancing the national goal of a TB-Mukt Bharat.

Speaking to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, the Union Health Minister urged the ministry to scale up the engagement of MY Bharat volunteers and National Cadet Corps (NCC) cadets in the campaign, building on the existing TB Mukt Bharat Toli model. He asked the ministry to expand volunteer-led mobilization for screening camps, strengthen the Experiential Learning Programme pathway that trains volunteers as Lead Ni-kshay Mitras, and deepen youth-led awareness efforts in schools, colleges, and communities.

From the Ministry of Defence, the Minister sought continued and expanded support from NCC cadets and defence personnel in community awareness rallies, mobilization for screening camps, household contact education, and nutrition support drives for TB patients, along with the integration of TB awareness into existing NCC training camps, special occasions like Republic Day and Independence Day activities, adventure camps and rural outreach programmes.

Speaking at the Occasion, Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports and Labour & Employment Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya suggested a stronger institutional convergence and coordinated action to add further impetus to the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan. He highlighted that the country has nearly 6 lakh undergraduate medical students and around 2 lakh postgraduate medical students, constituting a large pool of trained human resources that can be meaningfully engaged in the campaign through medical colleges across the country.

To further strengthen coordination at the district level, Dr. Mandaviya suggested that Candidate from the Pratibha Setu programme may be suitably engaged in the District TB Coordination Committee. He noted that around 600 officers under the programme could serve as effective coordinators between the Government of India, the Deans of medical colleges and the State Government's District TB Officers, thereby ensuring better planning, implementation and monitoring of TB elimination activities at the district level.

Shri Mandaviya also emphasised the importance of bringing the Ministry of Education on board to further strengthen coordination with medical colleges, educational institutions and youth networks, enabling wider participation and reinforcing the whole-of-government approach towards achieving the goal of a TB-Mukt Bharat.