Ranchi: Health minister Irfan Ansari announced that Jharkhand govt has set a target of eliminating tuberculosis (TB) by 2029 and is working on a war footing to achieve the milestone.Ansari made the announcement while attending the two-day National Task Force meeting under the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP) here on Thursday.“TB elimination should not remain just a govt programme but must become a mass movement. Unless every section of society participates, it will not be possible to eradicate this disease. The govt is taking many initiatives, such as providing free diagnosis to TB patients, medicines, and a monthly nutritional support of Rs 1,000 during the treatment period, to achieve the target of TB-free Jharkhand,” Ansari said.He appealed to all MPs, MLAs, mayors, councillors, mukhiyas, and public representatives in the state to take a pledge to make their respective areas TB-free and lead the campaign.“Patients recovering from TB will be trained as ‘TB Champions’ and involved in awareness campaigns so that they can act as role models in society. Over 1.36 lakh people have been screened for TB using handheld X-ray technology in the state,” the minister added.Jharkhand chapter of the National Health Mission director Shashi Prakash Jha said around 38,500 TB patients are undergoing treatment in the state, and 455 panchayats have already been declared TB-free.Jharkhand is making significant strides in eradicating TB, as the state has recorded a decline in tuberculosis positivity and mortality rates. The state achieved 89.69% treatment success rate of the disease last year.Jharkhand state TB officer Dr Kamlesh Kumar said that the state reported around 67,000 new TB cases in 2025. “On average, 200 new cases were detected daily in the state last year. Out of all the screenings done last year, only 6% was detected positive for TB, which is a very encouraging trend. The mortality rate stood at a meagre 1.5 % last year, which indicates that awareness among people has increased and they sought timely medical intervention, reducing the number of deaths,” Kumar added.
