YUVA: Centre's 5-yr action plan to spread AIDS awareness

[Guest guest]

YUVA: Centre's 5-yr action plan to spread AIDS awareness.

Mahendra Kumar Singh: [Thursday, June 01, 2006 11:44:02 pm

TIMES NEWS NETWORK ]

NEW DELHI: This YUVA is not the Bollywood hit starring Abhishek

Bachchan. YUVA is Youth Unite for Victory against AIDS, a five-year

government action plan to create awareness among 450 million youth

and adolescents in the country about AIDS.

With India topping the chart of number of HIV infected people, the

ministry of youth affairs' move is all the more urgent. " AIDS can

particularly be a youth problem. The focus of the programme is

awareness that prevention is the key to tackle the situation, " youth

affairs secretary S Y Quraishi told TOI.

The massive campaign would involve 21.4 million youth volunteers

from five youth and adolescent organisations, National Service

Scheme, Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan, Bharat Scouts and Guides, NCC

and Youth Redcross.

" Young panchayat leaders, youth hostels and volunteers of Rajiv

Gandhi Institute of Development will also be included in the

nationwide campaign " , said Quraishi, adding that the joint action

plan is an effort to bring young people under one umbrella 'India

Youth Network'.

Under the plan, youth volunteers will take pledge on a seven-point

programme. " The programme will create awareness about HIV/AIDS,

child marriage, gender equality with focus on dowry and sex

determination tests and empowerment for livelihood.

The government will spend around Rs 422.35 crore on the five year

campaign of which youth affairs ministry will put up Rs 277.5 crore

while UNDP will also contribute Rs 30 crore.

To coordinate campaign efforts, a separate adolescent and HIV/AIDS

division will be established in the ministry along with an

adolescent, gender and HIV/AIDS division at RGNIYD at the cost of Rs

15 crore.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1606486.cms