India's battle against tuberculosis just got a youth army. On Thursday, 8 October 2026, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta joined Union ministers at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, for the launch of JOSH (Joint Squad for Health) — a new youth-led initiative designed to carry Prime Minister Narendra Modi's TB-Mukt Bharat mission directly to people's doorsteps.

What JOSH squads will do — and where they start

Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda formally inaugurated the JOSH teams at the event, with Union Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya and Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth also present. CM Gupta, who attended alongside the three ministers, described the launch as a turning point: 'जब युवा आगे बढ़ेंगे, समाज साथ आएगा, तभी टीबी हारेगी और भारत जीतेगा' — 'When youth lead, society follows; only then will TB lose and India win.'

In Phase 1, JOSH volunteers will fan out across 55 districts in 11 states, conducting door-to-door awareness drives, connecting communities with TB screening and treatment, and mobilising local participation in the national elimination campaign.

TB-Mukt Bharat — the mission behind the moment

India carries one of the world's heaviest tuberculosis burdens, accounting for a significant share of global TB cases annually. PM Modi's TB-Mukt Bharat target sets 2025 as the deadline to eliminate TB — ahead of the global Sustainable Development Goal of 2030. The push combines government screening, the Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana nutritional support scheme, and now a structured youth outreach corps to reach rural and semi-urban pockets that health infrastructure alone struggles to cover.

The choice of Bharat Mandapam — New Delhi's flagship convention centre — as the launch venue signals the scale of political intent behind the programme. Bringing the Delhi Chief Minister and three central ministers onto one stage underscores that the campaign is conceived as a whole-of-government effort, not a departmental initiative.

Youth as the last mile

The JOSH model bets on a well-established public-health insight: community-level volunteers dramatically improve both case detection and treatment adherence in infectious-disease programmes. By routing awareness through young people who speak the same language — literally and culturally — as their neighbours, the government is trying to close the 'last mile' between policy and patient.

Fifty-five districts across eleven states in a single phase is an ambitious start. Whether the squads can sustain momentum, and how quickly later phases roll out to the remaining high-burden states, will determine whether JOSH becomes a cornerstone of India's TB endgame — or another well-intentioned launch.