India faces the highest tuberculosis (TB) burden globally, representing 26% of cases, with at least 2.8 million new cases and 325,000 deaths each year. 

Despite Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda's claim that India will eradicate TB by the end of this year, many public health experts remain doubtful. 

Recent cuts in funding from the United States have significantly affected India's TB elimination efforts. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) was a major contributor, providing over $140 million to the TB Mukt Bharat program and supporting initiatives like the "TB Buddy" system, which aided 5.1 million patients in four states (Karnataka, Telangana, Assam, and Bihar) with high TB rates. 

These programs were vital, especially for vulnerable groups, including around 360,000 children under five with latent TB infections, 5%–10% of whom are at risk of developing active TB. 

The halt of USAID's $400 million annual funding for global TB efforts, including the sudden end of 42 grants under the Tuberculosis Implementation Framework Agreement, presents a significant obstacle to India's TB elimination objectives.