A nationwide campaign was launched yesterday to coincide with the World TB Day to bring accountability to political leadership of the country on the issue of tuberculosis.

Initiated by a group of non-government organisations, the campaign will ask members of Parliament throughout the country to submit via questionnaires the improvement registered in curbing the deadly disease in their respective constituencies.

The campaign, to be run by the 'Indian network of people living with HIV', the population most vulnerable to the TB bacilli has been rolled out from across 24 states from different state capitals.

Bobby John, who represents the group ACTION, is coordinating the project in India. Under the project, grassroot advocacy workers will fan out to reach out to each of the 540 Lok Sabha constituencies and record the contribution of the respective MPs in controlling TB in their areas.

The results of the project that runs during the last days of the MPs' current tenure, aim to serve as a baseline for the coming lawmakers and hopes to instill the much-needed political will that is absent.

The questionnaire to be filled in by the MPs consist of 18 questions on the status of the constituency with regard to tuberculosis and what the MPs have contributed towards its improvement in their five-year term.

The international guidelines on countering tuberculosis recognise infrastructure, assured drug supply, good diagnosis and direct access to treatment, besides a strong political will as the requirements for the anti-tuberculosis programme.

The programme is reaching out to MPs in the first stage as MPs are accountable for the implementation of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM).

The organisations involved in the project will take up similar questions deeper down the grassroots to local MLAs and subsequently concillors.

The results of this questioning will be compiled to bring out a baseline report card of political leadership for TB control in India.