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Hamirpur (HP), March 24 : Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur appreciated the State Health Department for implementation of the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP) due to which the state was ranked as first state in the country amongst the big States category in the year 2021. The Chief Minister said that this survey was conducted by the Central Tuberculosis(TB) Division of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. He further said that the state government has been effectively implementing various programs for the elimination of Tuberculosis from the state. Thakur urged the people of the state for their cooperation so that Himachal Pradesh could become TB free state of the country. He stressed the need for active involvement of elected representatives, medical practitioners, NGOs, and the general public for wiping out this disease from the state. It’s notable here that Himachal Pradesh has secured first place in TB eradication, leaving behind big states of the country. Andhra Pradesh ranks second. The on Health Ministry has released these figures after assessing the states with a population of more than 50 lakhs. At present, Himachal Pradesh has 14,495 TB patients. Free medicines were given to them by the health department at home, a spokesperson of the Health Department said. /CSS JNA