Gujarat ranks 1st in TB improvement: 34% fewer cases, 37% fewer deaths since 2015
Synopsis
Gujarat has leapfrogged every other state to claim the top spot in India's TB improvement rankings — cutting new case rates by 34% and deaths by 37% since 2015. With 91% of identified patients turning disease-free and nearly 4,000 panchayats declared TB-free, the state's community-driven model is emerging as a national template ahead of India's 2025 TB elimination deadline.
Key Takeaways
Gujarat ranked 1st in the 'States with Most Improvement' category under the TB-Free India Campaign for 2025 .
The state recorded a 34% reduction in new TB case rates and a 37% decline in TB mortality between 2015 and 2023 .
Between January–May 2026 , 57,334 patients were identified — 98.3% of the Central target — with 91% becoming disease-free.
The 100-Day Campaign screened 23.38 lakh people and diagnosed 32,377 new patients across 5,012 high-risk villages. ₹57.60 crore in nutritional support was disbursed to 1,05,238 patients under Ni-Kshay Poshan Yojana in 2025.
3,971 gram panchayats — 27% of the state total — were recognised as 'TB-Free Panchayats' in 2025.
Gujarat has secured the first rank in the country in the 'States with Most Improvement' category for 2025 under the Centre's TB-Free India Campaign, following a 34 per cent reduction in new tuberculosis case rates and a 37 per cent decline in TB mortality between 2015 and 2023. The recognition was announced by state Cabinet spokesperson and Minister Jitu Vaghani after a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel in Gandhinagar on 1 July 2026.
National Recognition and Burden Ranking
Citing the Centre's latest report, Vaghani said Gujarat's estimated incidence of new TB cases in 2024 stood at 186 per one lakh population. On this indicator, the state ranked sixth among all states for the lowest tuberculosis burden and fourth among large states — a notable position for a state with a population exceeding 7 crore.
This comes amid the national push to eliminate tuberculosis by 2025 — five years ahead of the global Sustainable Development Goal target of 2030 — a commitment Prime Minister Narendra Modi made at the Delhi End TB Summit in 2018.
2026 Treatment Targets and Outcomes
Between January and May 2026, Gujarat identified 57,334 tuberculosis patients against the Central government's pro-rata target of 58,333, achieving 98.3 per cent of the target. Of those identified, 50,928 patients — or 91 per cent — became disease-free within a short period, according to Vaghani.
Notably, the state's treatment success rate of 91 per cent comfortably exceeds the World Health Organization (WHO) benchmark of 85 per cent, signalling that detection and completion of treatment are both improving in tandem.
100-Day Campaign: Scale of Outreach
Under the 'TB-Free India Campaign — 100-Day Campaign', launched on 24 March, door-to-door tuberculosis surveillance was conducted across 5,012 high-risk villages in Gujarat. During the campaign, 23.38 lakh people were screened for tuberculosis, 15.04 lakh underwent chest X-ray examinations, and 5.05 lakh received confirmatory NAAT tests. A total of 32,377 new TB patients were diagnosed and placed on treatment.
Nutrition Support and Community Mobilisation
Under the Ni-Kshay Poshan Yojana, financial assistance of ₹57.60 crore was disbursed to 1,05,238 tuberculosis patients during 2025. The scheme provides nutritional support to TB patients to improve treatment adherence and outcomes.
Gujarat has registered 30,992 Nikshay Mitras — volunteers from elected bodies, Panchayati Raj institutions, corporates, and civil society — who have collectively distributed 5,50,184 nutrition kits to patients. Additionally, 3,971 gram panchayats, accounting for 27 per cent of all gram panchayats in the state, were recognised as 'TB-Free Panchayats' during 2025.
What Comes Next
With Gujarat now benchmarked as the country's top-improving state, attention will shift to whether the remaining 73 per cent of gram panchayats can achieve TB-free status before the national elimination deadline. The state's model — combining mass screening, community volunteers, and direct nutritional transfers — is likely to be studied by other states lagging on their own TB targets.
Point of View
But the real stress test is what happens in the remaining 73% of gram panchayats that have not yet achieved TB-free status. The state's 34% case-rate reduction is commendable, yet an incidence of 186 per lakh still places Gujarat well above the WHO elimination threshold of 10 per lakh — a reminder that 'most improved' and 'nearly eliminated' are very different benchmarks. The Nikshay Mitra volunteer model and direct nutritional transfers are genuinely replicable innovations; the question is whether states with weaker administrative capacity can adopt them at comparable scale before India's self-imposed 2025 deadline slips further.
NationPress
2 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Gujarat rank first in TB improvement in 2025?
Gujarat ranked first in the 'States with Most Improvement' category under the Centre's TB-Free India Campaign for 2025 because it recorded a 34% reduction in new TB case rates and a 37% decline in TB mortality between 2015 and 2023. The ranking is based on the Central government's latest TB report.
What is Gujarat's current TB incidence rate?
According to the Centre's latest report, Gujarat's estimated incidence of new TB cases in 2024 stood at 186 per one lakh population. This placed the state sixth among all states for the lowest TB burden and fourth among large states.
What is the Ni-Kshay Poshan Yojana and how has Gujarat used it?
The Ni-Kshay Poshan Yojana is a Central government scheme that provides financial and nutritional support to tuberculosis patients to improve treatment adherence. In 2025, Gujarat disbursed ₹57.60 crore under the scheme to 1,05,238 TB patients.
What were the results of Gujarat's 100-Day TB Campaign?
Launched on 24 March, the 100-Day Campaign covered 5,012 high-risk villages, screened 23.38 lakh people, conducted 15.04 lakh chest X-rays, performed 5.05 lakh NAAT confirmatory tests, and diagnosed 32,377 new TB patients who were immediately started on treatment.
How many gram panchayats in Gujarat are now TB-free?
As of 2025, 3,971 gram panchayats in Gujarat have been recognised as 'TB-Free Panchayats', representing 27% of all gram panchayats in the state. The remaining 73% are yet to achieve this status ahead of India's TB elimination target.
