JOSH Campaign Launched to Support India’s Tuberculosis Elimination Mission

JOSH Campaign for health by the Government of India was started on October 13, 2026, on an experimental level in 11 states with 55 districts with the objective of increasing people’s participation in eliminating tuberculosis (TB). It is a social media campaign of the country involving the MY Bharat volunteers, NCC cadets, and Class-I Officers with the aim of raising awareness and getting screened and treated at an early stage.

What is the JOSH campaign?

Joint Squad for Health (JOSH) campaign is a youth and community initiative that aims to help India achieve its target of eliminating tuberculosis.

This campaign has been launched on a trial basis in 11 states and 55 districts. The aim of this campaign is to spread the awareness about TB and to make its eradication a collective responsibility.

MY Bharat volunteers, NCC cadets, and selected Class-I officers are part of the team working to popularise TB testing, completion of treatment course, and building a stigma-free society by using photos, video posts, and personal stories on social media platforms.

Steps Taken by India for TB Elimination

As per the government factsheet provided, there was a 21% fall in the number of new TB cases from 2015 to 2024 in India as compared to only 12% globally. There was a fall of 28% in TB mortality in India during the given period.

Coverage in India for TB treatment stood at 92% which is more than the global average of 78%, as per World Health Organization (WHO) Global Tuberculosis Report 2025.

Although there has been considerable success, early detection, access to health care in remote locations, completing of treatment courses and reducing social stigma is important.

National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP)

In 2020, the government rebranded its Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program (RNTCP) as National Tuberculosis Elimination Program (NTEP). This was done keeping in mind the government’s aim to eliminate TB earlier than the global target year of 2030.

This programme aims to achieve early diagnosis, high-quality diagnostics, timely treatment and case finding. It also deals with drug-resistant TB cases, engages the private health sector and gives preventive treatment to eligible persons.

This programme is focused on patients and involves not just medical treatment but nutrition support, contact investigation, community mobilization.

National Strategic Plan to End TB (2020-25)

Launched in June 2020, the National Strategic Plan to End TB served as the framework to strengthen India’s efforts towards dealing with tuberculosis in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goal 3, that of good health and well-being.

There are four pillars of this strategy that include,

• Build: Capacity building and strengthening of the health care system.
• Prevent: Prevention of the spread of TB and prevention of the disease itself.
• Detect: Early detection through diagnosis and screening.
• Treat: Treatment and management of patients.

Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan

Launched on September 9, 2022, the Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan aims at turning the TB elimination into a people’s movement by involving people, organisations, public officials and corporations in assisting patients and creating awareness about the disease.

The two crucial components of this initiative are Nikshay Poshan Yojana and the Ni-kshay Mitra program.