It has been shown that most of the infectious tuberculosis cases in a rural community in south India are at least conscious of symptoms of the disease; about three fourths of them are worried about their symptoms and about half are seeking relief at rural medical institutions. It is well known that the existing facilities deal with only a very small fraction of even those patients who are actively seeking treatment. India's National Tuberculosis Programme has been designed to mobilise the existing resources in order to offer suitable diagnostic and treatment services to those who already have felt - need. India's health administrators have to initiate suitable administrative and organizational reorientation of the existing medical and health services to satisfy this already existing felt needs. The more provision of such services could very well motivate the remaining tuberculosis patients to seek the help from the medical institutions. This motivational force is expected to get reinforced as a result of progress in the field of education, mass communication, transport and industrial and agricultural production. Simultaneously, progress in the social and economic plans will offer the needed resources for strengthening the existing health services in terms of personnel, funds, equipments and supplies. Further more, social and economic development, by increasing awareness of the population, will ensure a more effective utilization of the existing services. Thus, social and economic growth will not only help in the development of an epidemiologically effective tuberculosis control programme, but the very rise in the standard of living itself might make a significant impact in controlling the disease in the country.