Ni-kshay Mitra
Also called: Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan · Topic: Human Capital: Education, Health and Demographic Dividend · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Ni-kshay Mitra ("friend of a TB patient") is a way for people outside the government to support TB patients. Individuals, companies, co-operatives and NGOs "adopt" TB patients. They give them extra food, help with diagnostic tests and vocational support (help with skills or work). It is part of the Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, launched by the President on 9 September 2022 under the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP). This matters because undernutrition makes TB worse. Patients who are poorly fed or short of money often stop treatment early. So community help protects both their health and their ability to work.
Example
A company in a district signs up as a Ni-kshay Mitra. It gives a monthly food basket to a group of TB patients until their treatment ends. A daily-wage worker who might have dropped out of treatment for lack of food or income completes it and goes back to work.
Don't confuse with
- Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana: this is direct cash support from the government to TB patients for nutrition. Ni-kshay Mitra is voluntary support from the community or companies.
- 100-day TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan: this is an intensive campaign to screen people and find TB cases. The first round began in December 2024. The Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (2022), which includes Ni-kshay Mitra, is about patient support and community involvement.