Tamil Nadu News

TB-Free Panchayat Initiative

October 18 , 2026 14 hrs 0 min 27 0

A total of 2,390 Gram Panchayats in Tamil Nadu were declared tuberculosis (TB)-free for 2025 under the TB Free Panchayat initiative.
The criteria include testing 30 or more presumptive TB cases per 1,000 population, a TB notification rate of one or fewer per 1,000 population, and a treatment success rate of 90% or more among notified drug-sensitive TB patients.
Tamil Nadu’s estimated TB incidence declined from 192 per lakh population in 2015 to 171 per lakh in 2024.
JOSH (Joint Squad for Health) Teams, also called TB Mukt Bharat Teams, were introduced at the block level to promote awareness, early detection, screening, treatment adherence and patient support.
Each JOSH Team comprises a Class-I Nodal Officer, five MY Bharat volunteers and five National Cadet Corps (NCC) cadets.
In Tamil Nadu, Thoothukudi, Tiruchi, Cuddalore, Dharmapuri and Theni were selected for Phase I implementation. The initiative works with the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP) and the Ni-kshay Mitra initiative to support patients, including nutritional assistance.