Corona pandemic impacted fight against TB, claims Rajya Sabha MP Alphons

Rajya Sabha MP and Bharatiya Janata Party leader KJ Alphons on Saturday raised the issue of Tuberculosis cases in the country and said that the fight against this infectious disease has slowed down due to coronavirus pandemic.

He urged the Centre to work in the direction for treating the people infected with TB.
"There are 24 lakh Tuberculosis patients in India. Due to the focus on fighting COVID19, the fight against TB has slowed down," he said in the Upper House.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that India has fixed a deadline of 2025 for eradicating TB against the global deadline of 2030. He has asked MPs to work for its removal.

COVID-19 and the resultant socio-economic issues due to the lockdown became a major point of discussion in the Rajya Sabha on Saturday.

BJP MP and noted artist Sonal Mansingh gave Zero Hour notice in the Upper House over the demand to provide support to artists facing a hard time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On the other hand, Congress leader Ahmed Patel sought the constitution of a task force to frame rules for conducting online classes for schoolchildren and provide help to those from the weaker sections of society who cannot afford digital education mediums amid the pandemic.