Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched a campaign to eliminate tuberculosis (TB) from India by 2025, five years ahead of a globally-set time limit.

 After inaugurating End-TB Summit in Delhi, the prime minister launched the TB-free India Campaign to take the activities under the National Strategic Plan for TB Elimination forward in a mission approach for ending the outbreak by 2025. "A target has been set to end TB globally by 2030. I would like to announce that we have set the aim to eradicate it from India five years ahead by 2025," Prime Minister Modi said.

Prime Minister stressed on analyzing the situation and changing the approach, saying that efforts to control tuberculosis have not come up with successful results yet and said state governments have a major role to play in the eradication of TB from the country. He further said that front-line TB physicians and workers can make a most important contribution in this course.

"State governments have a major role to play in the elimination of TB from India. I have written to all chief ministers to join this mission," Prime Minister Modi added it would boost the spirit of cooperative federalism. 

TB was responsible for 1.7 million deaths in 2016, despite most cases being curable while over 10 million people deal TB every year. The summit would set the stage for the September 2018 United Nations High-Level Meeting on TB, where for the first time, TB would be thrashed out in the UN General Assembly at the Heads of State level.