Delhi uses less than half of tuberculosis budget in 2025
The capital spent only Rs 51.32 crore of the Rs 108.27 crore approved under the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme.
Delhi utilised only 47.4 per cent of the funds allocated under the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP) last year, according to a report by The Indian Express. The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) report for 2025-26 stated that Rs 51.32 crore of the approved Rs 108.27 crore was used, leaving Rs 56.95 crore unspent.
The underspending occurred despite 112,977 TB cases being notified in the capital in 2025, per the Delhi State Health Mission (DSHS). A Ministry of Health official told The Indian Express that gaps in digitisation, beneficiary identification, and Aadhaar linking to bank accounts affected Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT) to patients.
The official added that some research institutions and TB centres recorded lower expenditure due to delays in infrastructure development and procurement. A doctor from the National Institute of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases (NITRD) in Mehrauli suggested that administrative bottlenecks and poorly equipped hospitals could also be causes.
Under the Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana (NPY), TB patients receive Rs 1,000 per month for nutritional support through DBT, an amount that was doubled from Rs 500 in November 2024.
The mismatch in Delhi reflects a national trend. The Union Health Ministry reported that the NTEP spent Rs 1,179.68 crore of an approved Rs 1,888.82 crore in 2023-24, which was approximately 62.5 per cent.