- On 24 March 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the One World TB Summit – 2023 at the Rudraksha Convention Center in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
- Executive Director of Stop TB, Dr Lucica Ditiu remarked that the summit is taking place in one of the oldest cities in the world, Varanasi to discuss a thousand-year-old disease in the world i.e Tuberculosis or TB.
- She said that India has a very high burden of TB but with the best plan, ambition and great implementation of activities. She also underlined the global welfare embrace of India’s G-20 Presidency and explained the importance of the theme – One World One Health.
- She said that India is on the road to ending TB by 2025 under the leadership of the Prime Minister. She said due to the efforts of countries like India, the number of people who are not getting diagnosis and treatment for TB has gone below 3 million for the first time in history.
- She praised India’s scale in tackling TB and the TB Free India initiative and expressed the belief that India will end TB by 2025 with India’s support.
- She also informed about the UN high-level meeting on TB taking place on 22nd September during the UN General Assembly in New York and also requested the Prime Minister’s presence in the meeting. She also urged the Prime Minister to lead and inspire other world leaders in this fight against TB.
- In March 2018, during the End TB Summit held in New Delhi, Prime Minister Modi called for India to achieve SDG targets related to TB by 2025, five years ahead of schedule.
- Narendra Modi also laid the foundation stone of the National Center for Disease Control and High Control Laboratory in Varanasi and inaugurated the site for the Metropolitan Public Health Surveillance Unit.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the One World TB Summit – 2023 at Varanasi
