Raghuram Rajan says he will return if there is an opportunity to be of use
New Delhi: Amid speculation that he may be the finance minister if an opposition alliance wins the ensuing general elections, the former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan has said he is willing to return to take an opportunity where he could be of use.
Rajan, a former Chief Economist at the International Monetary Fund who was denied a second term as Reserve Bank Governor by the BJP-led government, said he is "very happy" where he is, but is open to opportunities.
"I am very happy where I am. But if there is an opportunity to be of use I will always be there," he said at the launch of his new book 'The Third Pillar' on Tuesday evening.
Rajan, who is currently the Katherine Dusak Miller Distinguished Service Professor of Finance at the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business in the US, was asked if he would like to return to India in public service or even a political role.
Speculation in political circles has been that he may be a choice for finance minister if the 'Grand Alliance' of opposition parties such as TMC, Samajwadi Party, BSP and TDP were to win the April/May general elections.
Congress President Rahul Gandhi had on Tuesday stated that Rajan was among top economists that his party had consulted to draft its minimum income guarantee scheme, Nyuntam Aay Yojana or NYAY.
The scheme assures up to Rs 72,000 a year or Rs 6,000 a month income to 20 per cent of India's poorest families if the Congress is voted back to power in the Lok Sabha elections next month.
In an interview to CNBC TV18 Tuesday, Rajan said it was "premature" to discuss if he was approached by any of the parties to take up a policy-making position if they were to win.
"I think it is premature to have this discussion. I really think that this is an important election for India and I also think we need a new set of reforms. I would be happy to push those ideas and we are trying to do that more broadly to anybody who listens," he had said.
Rajan, who is credited with taking some bold decisions on cleaning up of bank balance sheets as the RBI Governor, when asked what his priorities would be if he was the finance minister of the country, he said "I think there are short-term issues".
"A number of economists, of which I was one, have put together a set of policy ideas and they are out there for anybody to read. They are coming out in a book but let me say very quickly that certainly, I would focus on short-term actions that could put a lot of projects back on track," he said.
Also, cleaning up the banks as quickly as possible and set them back on credit growth, and finding two or three key reforms that could unleash growth would be his focus, he said.
"Certainly one of them has to be how we review agriculture in a way that reduces distress. Second would be the issue of land acquisition. Can we learn from the best practices of the states and find methods that seem fair and in a sense also give states the freedom to pick the method that works best for them so that we learn from each other's experiments?
"Land acquisition and bank cleanup, as well as, trying to find some key policies that would revive agriculture - these would be top priorities," he said.
Rajan was the 23rd Governor of the Reserve Bank of India between September 2013 and September 2016. Between 2003 and 2006, he was the Chief Economist and Director of Research at the IMF.
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India misses 2025 TB elimination target; cases stand at 185 per 100,000 population
New Delhi: India reported an estimated 2.7 million tuberculosis cases in 2025 which translates into an incidence of 185 cases per 100,000 population, according to the latest official update on the disease burden.
The figure is more than four times the elimination benchmark set under the National Strategic Plan for Tuberculosis. The plan had aimed to bring down incidence to 44 cases per 100,000 population and mortality to three per 100,000 by 2025. The target was announced in March 2017 and was set five years ahead of the global End TB goals and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Data indicate that TB notifications have increased by 13 per cent compared to pre-Covid levels, as IndiaSpend reported in July 2025. Public health experts have said higher notification does not necessarily reflect a rise in incidence, but indicate improved case detection. Authorities have stepped up efforts to improve reporting and plug gaps in diagnosis and treatment, under the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP).
According to a 2019 study published in PLOS Medicine, the most substantial gap occurs during the testing stage, with nearly half of those with incident tuberculosis not receiving diagnostic tests. Experts say stigma, restricted availability to molecular testing, and dependence on sputum microscopy continue to impede early detection.
According to official data, 19.3 million smear microscopy tests were performed in 2023, compared to 6.83 million molecular tests using the CBNAAT/GeneXpert and Truenat platforms, indicating that smear-based diagnosis will continue to be used. While doctors report inconsistent implementation across regions, legislation mandates 100% molecular testing for suspected tuberculosis patients.
Health officials point to the increase of diagnostic infrastructure, which includes approximately 10,000 Nucleic Acid Amplification Test equipment and over 25,000 microscopy centers across the country. Eexperts identify operational difficulties such as specimen transportation, machine maintenance, supplier chains, and unequal distribution of skilled staff.
Under the TB-Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, the government has expanded active case-finding in high-risk areas and identified 1.58 lakh vulnerable villages and urban wards using an AI-based mapping tool. Under which the latest campaign document states that of the 2.73 million cases reported in 2025, 35 per cent were asymptomatic.
Specialists warn that up to half of microbiologically diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis patients may not show characteristic symptoms, contributing to continuous community transmission. To increase early diagnosis of drug resistance, it is advised that chest X-rays and molecular testing be used more frequently.
Specialists warn that up to half of microbiologically diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis patients may not show characteristic symptoms, contributing to continuous community transmission. To increase early diagnosis of drug resistance, it is advised that chest X-rays and molecular testing be used more frequently.
The government increased financial aid for Tuberculosis patients under the Nikshay Poshan Yojana to ₹1,000 per month, as the disease is mostly linked with malnutrition and poor living conditions and those with a BMI less than 18.5 are given energy-dense nutritional supplements for the first two months of therapy.
