Himachal Pradesh: Solan district has taken a significant step towards the elimination of Tuberculosis (TB), where 48 gram panchayats have been declared TB free. Additional Deputy Commissioner Ajay Yadav announced the achievement during the district-level TB Free Panchayat Award Ceremony organised by the Health and Family Welfare Department. Yadav stressed the need to make the TB eradication campaign a Jan Andolan and urged panchayat representatives to raise awareness about the disease, which has an accessible and effective cure. He highlighted that the government provides free medicines for the prevention and treatment of TB and also gives a monthly nutrition allowance of Rs 500 to TB patients for six months.
The Government of India aims to eliminate TB across the country by 2025, while Himachal Pradesh has set an ambitious target of achieving it by 2024. Yadav called upon local panchayat leaders to play an active role in making the district TB free. The declaration of 48 gram panchayats as TB free was based on specific health criteria. These include 16 panchayats of health block Arki, three of health block Chandi, two of health block Dharampur, 16 of health block Nalagarh and 11 of health block Sayri. The panchayats honoured include Bhumati, Chaniyadhar Daseran, Dumahar, Jaghoon, Kyar, Kotlu, Maan and others. Chief Medical Officer Dr Amit Ranjan Talwar, block medical officers of Arki, Nalagarh, Dharampur and Chandi and representatives of various Panchayati Raj Institutions were present at the event. This initiative is a major step towards achieving the state’s target of eliminating tuberculosis by 2024, which will contribute to the larger mission of making India TB free by 2025.
