PM Modi arrives in Varanasi to address One World TB Summit; to inaugurate various development projects

The Prime Minister will officially launch the TB-free panchayat initiative 'A Brief TB Preventive Treatment (TPT)' on a pan-India basis.

Varanasi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday reaffirmed India's fight against Tuberculosis saying India is aiming to eradicate the disease by 2025, five years ahead of the global target of 2030. PM Modi was addressing the One World TB Summit at Rudrakash Convention Centre in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh on Friday.

“While world is eyeing 2030 to eradicate TB, India is working to achieve the target by 2025,” Modi said in his address. The PM said “the way India has been working to eradicate TB after 2014 is really appreciable”. “For last nine years, India has worked on multiple fronts in fight against TB like people's participation, enhancing nutrition, treatment innovation, tech integration and wellness and prevention including Fit India and Khelo India besides Yoga,” he said.

The PM made a special mention of the Neek Shai Mitra campaign under which 10 lakh TB patients have been adopted by locals including school going kids as per PM Modi. “Many kids have broken their piggy banks to help tb patients. He said that the Neek Shai Mitras have contributed Rs1000 crore as part of a community participation he said “is a case study in itself”.

He said the NRIs also participated in this campaign which helped in overcoming the big challenge of nutrition of patients. The PM said that since the Direct Benefit Transfer for TB patients was launched in 2018, 70 lakh patients have benefited with Rs 2000 crore transferred directly to the patients' accounts. He said the Neek Shai Mitras are giving new vigour to the fight against TB.

He said that in order to make sure no patient is left out of treatment, the government has linked the patients with the Ayushman Bharat scheme by providing free diagnosis, increasing the number of labs. He said that special attention is being paid on TB clusters for which TB Mukt Panchayat ahs been launched. He said that a special 3-month treatment schedule against 6 months earlier has also been introduced.

He said that 80 percent medicines against TB are manufactured within India. “Hope other countries are benefited of India's innovations as we are for global good. TB will lose and we will win, the world will win,” he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi who on Friday arrived for the anti-TB event in his parliamentary constituency Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh will also inaugurate various projects, officials said.

According to the district administration, the summit is being organized by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and the Stop TB Partnership. Stop TB Partnership, founded in 2001, is an organization organized by the United Nations to give voice to people, communities and countries living with TB. During the event, the Prime Minister will officially launch the TB-free panchayat initiative 'A Brief TB Preventive Treatment (TPT)' on a pan-India basis.

He will launch various initiatives including Family Centered Care Model for TB and release India's Annual TB Report 2023. The Prime Minister also awarded selected States/Union Territories and Districts for significant progress towards elimination of TB. The conference was an opportunity to showcase the learnings from the national TB elimination programmes.

International representatives from more than 30 countries besides Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Governor Anandiben Patel, Union Health Minister were present in this summit. Later, the Prime Minister will visit the Sampurnanand Sanskrit University where he will address a public meeting. The PM will is also scheduled to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of 28 developmental projects worth about Rs 1780 crore in Varanasi.

The Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of passenger ropeway from Varanasi Cantt station to Godaulia. The cost of this project is estimated to be around Rs 645 crore. This ropeway system with 5 stations will be 3.75 kilometers long. This will facilitate the movement of tourists, pilgrims and residents of Varanasi.

The Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone of a sewage treatment plant with a capacity of 55 MLD in Bhagwanpur under the Namami Gange scheme. This plant will be constructed at a cost of more than Rs 300 crore. The Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of the second and third phase of the redevelopment work of Sigra Stadium under the Khelo India scheme.

The Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone of LPG bottling plant to be constructed by Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited at Raver village of Sewapuri. The Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone of various other projects including primary health center, floating jetty equipped with changing rooms in Bharthara village.

Under the Jal Jeevan Mission, 19 drinking water schemes are also to be inaugurated by the PM. More than three lakh people of 63 gram panchayats will be benefited by these drinking water schemes. With the aim of further strengthening the rural drinking water system, the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of 59 drinking water schemes under this mission.