Government To Launch Campaign To Eliminate TB By 2025: Sitharaman

Presenting the Budget for 2020-21, Sitharaman proposed to expand Jan Aushadhi Kendras to all districts of the country to provide medicines at affordable rates

Photo: PTI

New Delhi: The government will launch a campaign to eliminate tuberculosis (TB) by 2025, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Saturday. Presenting the Budget for 2020-21, Sitharaman proposed to expand Jan Aushadhi Kendras to all districts of the country to provide medicines at affordable rates. She further said proceeds from taxes on medical devices would be used to support setting up of hospitals. The finance minister further said viability gap funding will be provided for setting up hospitals in districts with no empanelled hospitals under Ayushman Bharat and also to set up warehouses for agri products. The government has allocated Rs 1.23 lakh crore for rural development and Panchayati raj while Rs 1.6 lakh crore was earmarked for agriculture and allied activities, she added. The government also plans to expand coverage of artificial insemination to 70 per cent from 30 per cent to increase livestock productivity, she said adding fish production would be raised to 200 lakh tonne by 2022.