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Fund crunch stalls Nikshay Poshan Yojana leaving 1.57 lakh TB patients in distress
Launched in 2018, NPY scheme provides ₹1,000 per month to notified TB patients to support a nutrient-rich diet, which plays a crucial role in recovery, depending on their treatment duration from six months to a year
Fund shortage has hit the Nikshay Poshan Yojana (NPY), a key scheme of the central government that provides monthly financial support to tuberculosis (TB) patients for nutrition during treatment, affecting over 1.57 lakh patients across Maharashtra, said officials on Saturday.
According to the public health department officials, the disruption has persisted for the past six months as funds provided for the scheme from the Union ministry of health and family welfare were not released.
Launched in 2018, NPY scheme provides ₹1,000 per month to notified TB patients to support a nutrient-rich diet, which plays a crucial role in recovery, depending on their treatment duration from six months to a year.
According to an official data, Maharashtra reported 219,315 new TB patients in 2025, but only 62,194 patients (32%) received benefits under the NPY, a dismal low as compared to an average of around 75% covered in previous years, said officials.
Sanjay Dabhade, health activist, warned that the delay could adversely impact treatment outcomes. “Nutrition is as important as medication in TB care. Poor dietary intake can weaken immunity, increase side effects and raise the risk of relapse,” he said.
Patients, meanwhile, say the gap has added to their hardship. “I have been on TB treatment for four months, but I have not received the nutrition money even once,” said Ramesh Pawar (name changed), a daily-wage worker from Pune.
Dr Prashant Bothe, city TB Officer, Pune, said, “In the city, around 40% of the newly diagnosed TB patients have received money under the NPY in 2025. The problem has been there for the past six months. It was only during the initial months of 2025 that the benefits were received by the patients. The government claimed fund shortage for not providing benefits.”
Another 36-year-old patient from Pune said that the delay has forced her family to borrow money.
Dr Rajratna Waghmare, joint director (TB and leprosy), healthcare services, Maharashtra, said the state has repeatedly taken up the matter with the Centre. “There has been a delay in the release of funds, which has affected disbursement under the Nikshay Poshan Yojana. We have communicated the urgency to the Union health ministry. We received around ₹350 crore in the first week of January 2026 and distributed it to districts. However, it takes around a couple of weeks for the funds to get distributed to TB patients,” he said.
