India

PM’s Scheme To Support Nutritional Needs of TB Patients; Here’s What They Will Get

By
OB Bureau

New Delhi: Given that the recovery of tuberculosis patients becomes slow or unachievable if they are not provided with a nutritional diet, the government is planning to launch a scheme to support the nutritional requirements of patients suffering from the deadly disease. The scheme has tentatively been named Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan (PMTBMB) under which financial contributions from non-governmental organisations (NGOs), private sector corporates or even individuals will be encouraged to support the dietary requirements of TB patients.

Under the scheme, an individual or a corporate house, NGOs, elected representatives, political parties, institutions or others can decide to become “Nikshay Mitra” which means “a good friend” and adopt a TB patient or patients, News18 reported.

Once adopted, these friends will take responsibility for providing nutritional support to these TB patients and provide them with a decided list of diet plans.

“The scheme aims to provide patients with nutritional support, which eventually will help India achieve the deadline of eliminating TB from the country, five years earlier than the global target,” an official was quoted as saying.

PM Modi, in 2018, had announced that India would totally eliminate TB by 2025, five years ahead of the global deadline set for 2030 and reiterated the same while addressing the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York in 2019.

According to the Global TB Report of 2021, at 24%, India is the top contributor among the 10 countries that collectively account for 74% of the global gap between estimated TB incidence and the number of people newly diagnosed with TB and reported.

India also features on all three World Health Organization (WHO) global lists of high-burden countries for TB, HIV-associated TB, and Multi-Drug Resistant or Rifampicin-resistant TB to be used by the WHO for the period 2021-2025.

What each patient will get

  • 3.5 kg cereals
  • 1 litre of cooking oil
  • 1.5 kg pulses
  • milk powder, eggs, fruits, and vegetables will be given to the donors to supply to TB patients every month.

Launch date

The scheme is likely to be launched by PM Modi any time between August 20 and August 24 in a virtual event.

Whose idea it was

The idea of the scheme was shared by Anandi Ben Patel, governor of Uttar Pradesh, with Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya. The health minister, in turn, appreciated the idea and discussed it further with PM Modi during the review meeting.

Govt data of TB patients

According to government data, there are around 13.5 lakh TB patients in India, of which almost nine lakh have given consent to receive support from ‘Nikshay Mitras’.

Data shows that so far, 447 individuals, 122 NGOs, 29 corporates, 19 institutions, 18 elected representatives, 10 political parties and four co-operatives have consented to adopt the patient (or patients) for the duration of one year.

OB Bureau

Recent Posts

Thalassemia & Sickle Cell Patients Stage Dharna For Blood Transfusion Centre At MKCG Hospital In Odisha’s Berhampur

Berhampur: Hundreds of thalassemia and sickle cell patients on Tuesday staged a demonstration demanding a…

November 26, 2024

Samantha Ruth Prabhu Was Labelled ‘Second Hand’, ‘Used’ After Divorce With Naga Chaitanya

Mumbai: Actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu and her ex-husband actor Naga Chaitanya have moved on after…

November 26, 2024

Amid Divorce Rumours, Aishwarya Asks Women To Never Compromise On Their Worth [Watch]

Mumbai: Amidst rumours of their divorce, Bollywood queen Aishwarya Rai asked women to stand up…

November 26, 2024

Prime Minister Modi To Participate In Roadshow On Arrival In Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in a roadshow on his arrival at Bhubaneswar…

November 26, 2024

How Custody Battle With Elon Musk Left His Ex-Girlfriend Grimes ‘Bankrupt’

New York: Elon Musk, father of 12 children with different partners, has led an eventful…

November 26, 2024

Vigilance Apprehends College Principal While Taking Rs 1 Lakh Bribe In Odisha’s Nayagarh

Bhubaneswar: Vigilance has apprehended a college principal while taking a bribe of Rs 1 lakh…

November 26, 2024

FIR Against ‘Pushpa 2’ Actor Shri Tej For Cheating & Exploiting Woman

Mumbai: Ahead of the release of Allu Arjun's highly-anticipated ‘Pushpa: The Rule’, one of the…

November 26, 2024

Odisha Govt Rejects IAS Officer Sujata Karthikeyan’s Leave Extension Application

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has rejected the application of IAS officer Sujata R Karthikeyan for…

November 26, 2024