India removed from WHO list of nations with

New Delhi: India has marked a major success in its battle against polio by being removed from the World Health Organization's list of countries plagued by the crippling disease.

Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad says the WHO removed India from the list on Saturday after the country passed one year without registering any new cases.

The milestone is a major victory in the global effort to eradicate polio and leaves only three countries with endemic polio - Pakistan, Nigeria and Afghanistan. India must pass another two years without new cases to be declared polio-free.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh praised some 230,000 volunteers who traveled across India to vaccinate children and said India's success against polio "shows that teamwork pays".