Context: Under the TB Mukt Bharat Initiative by 2025, Union Health Minister inaugurated the “Tribal TB Initiative” .
Facts about the Tribal population and initiative

• In India, almost 104 million tribal population lives, across 705 tribes, accounting for 8.6 % of the country’s population.
• The poor living standards like physical remoteness, malnutrition, and lack of hygiene lead to the tribal population getting vulnerable to TB. 177 tribal districts were identified as High-priority districts that are vulnerable.

About Tribal TB Initiative

• Aim: Tribal TB Initiative aims to address the problem of Tuberculosis in Tribal Population.
• Initially, the initiative will focus on 161 districts across 18 identified States. It will focus on vulnerability mapping, active case finding & promote behavioral change at the ground level.
• TB Mukt Bharat initiative aims at the elimination of TB by 2025.

Note: Lakshadweep and the district of Badgam in Jammu and Kashmir have been declared TB Free on World TB Day 2021.

Other Tribal Health-Related Initiatives

• ALEKH: It is an e-newsletter that is to be released on a quarterly basis. It will showcase the works of different stakeholders involved in improving the health and nutrition of tribals.
• Swasthya Portal: It aims to provide health and nutrition-related information to the tribal population of India.