Challenges Faced by Rural, Tribal, and Migrant Groups in Fighting Tuberculosis (TB) in India
- Context: India accounts for about 27% of global TB cases, making it one of the most affected countries worldwide.
- Rural, tribal, and migrant populations face multiple barriers due to poverty, malnutrition, poor living conditions, and limited access to healthcare.
Causes of TB
- Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
- It affects the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body.
National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme
- India’s flagship program to eliminate TB by 2025.
- Uses molecular tests like CBNAAT and TrueNat for quick and accurate TB detection.
Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana (NPY)
- It is a government scheme that provides financial and nutritional support to TB patients to help them recover faster.
- Each TB patient receives ₹1,000 per month to buy nutritious food.
- The scheme helps improve patients’ health and treatment outcomes by addressing undernutrition.
Buddha Relics Exposition
- Prime Minister inaugrated the Grand International Exposition of Sacred Piprahwa Relics related to Lord Buddha in New Delhi.
- Government of India recognised Pali as a classical language.
Kalai-II project granted environmental clearance
- The Kalai-II project is a 1,200-MW hydroelectric scheme planned on the Lohit River in Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh.
- Environmentalists flagged the critically endangered white-bellied heron found in the project area.
- The white bellied heron is a Schedule-I species under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.
Re-circulatory Aquaculture System
- The state-of-the-art Re-circulatory Aquaculture System (RAS) Facility in Hyderabad, Telangana by the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
- This is used for high- density culture of various species of fish, utilizing minimum land area and water.
Artificial Intelligence Medical Center
- Background: India’s first government hospital-based Artificial Intelligence medical center has been established at GIMS Hospital in Greater Noida.
3D-Printed Automatic Weather Stations
- Background: India has developed indigenously manufactured 3D-printed automatic weather stations under the Mission Mausam project. These will be installed in Delhi from February 2026. This is a significant step towards strengthening India’s weather monitoring and forecasting network.
Mission Mausam
- This project was approved on September 11, 2024.
- It is a project of the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
- It aims to improve weather and climate services.
- This project is being implemented by IMD, NCMRWF, and IITM.
