SRINAGAR: The Government has said that Jammu and Kashmir recorded 12,554 tuberculosis cases in the first ten months of 2025, according to the Ni-kshay portal data placed before the Rajya Sabha. The Union Territory’s figures form part of a wider national picture in which India continues to shoulder the world’s highest TB burden, even as the Government maintains that surveillance and reporting systems have strengthened considerably in recent years.
In a written reply, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said that the World Health Organization’s Global TB Report 2025 estimates India to have had about 21.7 lakh TB cases and three lakh deaths in the year 2024. The Government clarified that the WHO report does not provide State-wise estimates, and the only disaggregated figures currently available are those reported by States and Union Territories on the Nikshay portal for 2025.
According to the annexure placed before the House, Uttar Pradesh accounted for the highest number of reported cases from January to October 2025 with 6,04,726 cases, followed by Maharashtra with 1,88,653 and Bihar with 1,80,203. Other high-burden States include Rajasthan with 1,51,995 cases, Madhya Pradesh with 1,47,443 and Gujarat with 1,11,909. Several smaller States and Union Territories reported comparatively lower numbers, such as Sikkim with 1,045, Goa with 1,597 and Ladakh with 246 cases.
Nationally, the Government has said that the 2025 reporting window reflects both an intensified effort to detect and notify cases promptly and the continuing challenge of reducing transmission, especially in densely populated regions. The Ministry noted that surveillance data from Ni-kshay is dynamic and accumulates as States update records throughout the year.
The Government reiterated its commitment to the goal of eliminating tuberculosis, stating that enhanced diagnostic access, improved treatment adherence mechanisms and expanded community-level interventions remain central to the national strategy. -(KL)
