NI-KSHAY MITRA        

1. Introduction:

• Public health experience shows that undernutrition & TB form a vicious cycle.
• Poor nutritional status makes an individual to get infected by the disease or have a dormant disease manifest clinically.
• TB leads to depletion of nutrient reserves & aggravation of under-nutrition.
• Optimal nutritional support to TB patients improves weight gain, adherence to therapy, muscle strength, quality of life, robust recovery & reduced mortality.
• Good nutrition prevents relapse of the disease.

2. Direct Cash Benefits:

• The Union Health Ministry launched the Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana in 2018 as part of the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP), with a sharper focus on nutritional improvement among TB patients.
• NTEP provides a direct cash benefit transfer of Rs 500 per month to TB patients on treatment.
• Large-scale country-wide health programmes like smallpox, and polio eradication became successful only through people's participation.
• Community participation plays a key role in mass awareness, behaviour change, demand creation, and clearing myths.
• The success of these health programmes reinforced a belief that community & institutional stakeholder support in TB elimination is required.
• This can a pivotal role in addressing the social & nutritional determinants, thereby contributing towards the attainment of the national goal.

• Under this, Ni-kshay Mitras can adopt & care for TB patients.
• Ni-kshay mitras are volunteers who could be individuals, NGOs, co-operative societies, corporates & political parties.
• They commit to helping TB patients through nutritional support, nutritional supplements, additional investigations, and vocational support.
• This public health initiative has already shown good uptake with more than 52,000 Ni-kshay mitras registered within 3 months of its launch.