World TB Day: As India's eradication deadline nears, Bimaru states a drag

Experts say that despite the decline in incidence rates, the 2025 deadline may be ambitious

With India’s 2025 deadline to end tuberculosis (TB) drawing near, some states are lagging behind others. While India’s TB cure rate stands at 27.8 per cent, 11 states have rates lower than the national average, according to data from the India TB Report 2023.

These laggards account for a third of India’s notified patients, with the majority residing in the Bimaru (acronym for Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh) states. Coined in the 1980s, the ‘Bimaru’ refers to states lagging in key economic and other indicators, including the availability of health services needed to address diseases like TB.

Globally,