Varanasi, Mar 24 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday emphasized on the need for public participation in the total eradication of tuberculosis and said that India is working on the target of ending TB completely by the year 2025 five years before the global target.

Addressing the 'One World TB Summit' at Rudraksh Convention Center here, Modi said that today the number of TB patients in India is decreasing. "Karnataka and Jammu and Kashmir have been conferred with the TB free award. Those who have achieved this success deserve congratulations," he said.

He said that India is now working on the target of ending TB by the year 2025. "The global target to eliminate TB is 2030 but India is working on the target of ending the disease by the year 2025. For this we worked on a new strategy that no TB patient should be left out of treatment. For screening of TB patients, for their treatment, we have linked them to the Ayushman Bharat scheme. We have increased the number of labs across the country for free TB testing," he said.

The PM said that the great thing that India has done in the fight against TB is public participation. "This disease cannot be eradicated without the cooperation of the general public. The government appealed to the people of the country to become 'Ni-Kshaya Mitra' and to join the campaign of 'TB-Mukt Bharat'. Due to this campaign around 10 lakh TB patients have been adopted by the common citizens of the country," he said.

He said that the Ni-Kshay Mitra campaign has helped TB patients a lot in tackling a big challenge of the nutrition of TB patients. "Keeping this in mind we announced Direct Benefit Transfer in 2018 and since then Rs 2,000 crore have been directly sent in the bank accounts of TB patients benefiting 75 lakh patients," he said.

He said, "The ideology of India as a country is reflected in the spirit of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam'. This ancient idea is giving integrated solutions to the modern world today. India has also kept the 'One World, One Family, One Future' theme of the G-20 summit. This theme is the resolution of the shared future of the whole world as one family. Recently India has taken the initiative of taking forward the vision of 'One Earth, One Health'. With this One World TB Summit India is fulfilling another resolve of global goals," he said.

Modi said that in the last nine years, India has worked collectively on many fronts in the fight against TB. "For example, public participation, special campaigns for nutrition, new strategies for treatment, full use of technology and campaigns like Fit India, Khelo India and Yoga to promote good health. The biggest work done by India in the fight against TB is people's participation," he said.

He said, "The new thought and approach with which India started working against TB since 2014 is truly unprecedented. The whole world must know about these efforts of India because it is a new model in the global fight against TB."

The PM said that India is working on the strategy of Trace, Test, Track, Treat and Technology and this strategy is helping a lot in the fight against TB. "There is a big global potential present in the local approach of India which we have to use collectively," he said

He said that 80 per cent of medicines for treatment of TB are manufactured in India. "The potential of Indian pharma companies is a big strength of the global campaign against TB," he said.

Modi said "I am sure Kashi will give a new energy to our global resolve against a disease like TB. It is a matter of great pleasure for me that 'One World TB Summit' is being held in Kashi. Fortunately, I am also the MP of Kashi. The city of Kashi is the eternal land which has been witness to the efforts and hard work of humanity for thousands of years. Kashi testifies that no matter how big the challenge is, when everyone's effort is there, a new path also emerges."