The two day Zonal Task Force meeting of the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP) for eastern region will be held at the Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital here on May 18 and 19.

The meeting assumes importance as India has embarked upon the ambitious national strategic plan to eradicate tuberculosis from the country by 2025, Prof. Banani Jena, Head of the Department of Pulmonary Diseases at IMS and SUM Hospital said.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, for effective engagement of the community towards elimination of tuberculosis, was implementing the Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, she said.

Besides, the ‘Nikshay Mitra’ initiative has been launched urging citizens to work collectively towards elimination of TB, Prof. Jena said adding a ‘Nikshay Poshan’ scheme had also been launched under the aegis of NTEP which aimed to extend financial support of Rs. 2500 per month to every TB patient towards nutritional needs.