Govt disburses ₹3,649 crore to 12 million tuberculosis patients for nutrition

New Delhi: The government has disbursed ₹3,649 crore to 12.4 million tuberculosis (TB) patients to help them with a nutritional diet, key to treating the disease, according to the health ministry official overseeing India's TB control efforts.

The payments were made by direct benefit transfer under the Nikshay Poshan Yojana (NPY), wherein a financial aid of ₹6,000 is provided to TB patients for nutrition.

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India accounts for around 26% of the world's TB cases.

TB is still one of the most infectious killers, causing more deaths than malaria or AIDS. Experts say that around 10 to 12% of recovered TB patients can catch TB again, with undernourishment and poverty being major reasons.

India aims to eliminate TB by the end of this year with around 2.6 million cases notified last year.

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Dr Urvashi Singh, deputy director general, central TB division at the union health ministry said: “Every day, we are progressing in our target to eliminate TB from the country. India one of the few countries in the world with universal nutrition support scheme for all TB patients. Till February 2025, approx. ₹3,649 crore have been disbursed to 1.24 crore (12.4 million) beneficiaries through direct benefit transfer under NPY. The government, in 2018, introduced NPY scheme to provide financial aid to TB patients for their nutritional supplements.”

As part of the plan, when the patient gets notified, they get ₹6,000 each for nutritional support in two tranches.

Since last year November, the government has enhanced the financial aid from ₹500 per month to ₹1,000 month, doubling the disbursement over a six-month period to ₹6,000.

“The enhancement of the NPY support will benefit 25 lakh (2.5 million) TB patients per year,” Dr Singh said.

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“Our strategy is now that we are not waiting for patients to come to us. We are reaching out to him before he develops major symptoms like two weeks of persistent cough. The initial symptoms of TB are very minimal like slow loss of weight, loss of appetite & night sweats. These are such subtle symptoms which patients ignore. Now we are going to the patient in the community and doing active findings,” she said.

The Central government conducts TB-Mukt Bharat Abhiyan (TB elimination drive) on 7 December, under which more than 110 million vulnerable individuals have been screened in 455 campaign districts so far.

More than 400,000 patients have been notified and initiated on treatment over the 100-day campaign. These are over and above the 2.6 million patients notified last year.

Meanwhile, the Union government is committed to eliminating TB by the end of this year, five years ahead of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) deadline of 2030.

Shorter TB treatment regime

India has rolled out a 6-month Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) regimen called "BPaL" (Bedaquiline, Pretomanid and Linezolid), which has a very high success rate and treatment outcome. These medicines are provided free to patients in both government and private healthcare set-ups.

The government is also ensuring that there are adequate drug and diagnostic stocks available with the states/UTs.

“Right now, there are close to 20 state governments that have drug stocks of upto 6 months. Some have stocks upto 3-4 months, but the government is making arrangements to ensure stocks upto 6 months for all the states,” Dr Singh said.

Priya Paliwal, chief dietician, Dietetics, Sri Balaji Action Medical Institute, Delhi, said, “Proper and high protein-mineral-vitamin nutrition is very important for TB patients as it helps restore immunity, reduces side effects of medication, and supports overall recovery. A high-protein diet, including eggs, milk, pulses and lean meat, is crucial for repairing damaged tissues, while vitamins A, C and E, along with zinc, enhance immune response. It should taken for a longer period than six months. Though the government gives financial support to TB patients for six months, we recommend for at least a year under the supervision of a TB expert. Given the high cost of nutritious food, a more structured approach, such as direct distribution of protein-rich food, fortified grains, and micronutrient supplements, could be more impactful. Community kitchens, nutrition awareness programs, and local partnerships can further strengthen this initiative.”

Dr Pritpal Kaur, pulmonologist, Apollo Spectra Hospital, Delhi, said, “Malnutrition weakens immunity, making individuals more susceptible to TB and slowing down recovery. Adequate nutrition is essential for TB patients for early recovery. We need a structured approach for adequate nutrition to deal with TB as it takes a year to recover. Awareness about the disease and role of good nutrition is the key. Without proper nutrition, adherence to medication can lead to drug resistance.”