India will spend $2.5 billion under NACP III

[Guest guest]

India will spend $2.5 billion under NACP III

NEW DELHI: India will spend $2.5 billion under phase three of the

National AIDS Control Programme (NACP III) during the next five

years to fight the HIV/AIDS .

According to NACO chief K Sujatha Rao, teams of the World Bank and

another international funding agency are currently in India to make

appraisal of NACP-III and decide about their contribution to the

country's fight against AIDS.

" The teams, making technical examinations, are more or less

satisfied with the government's proposed programme to fight the

dreaded disease. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and many

other international organisations are also going to contribute to

NACP-III.

Once they approve the programme and decide on their contribution to

NACP-III, the government would decide about bridging the gap in the

resources. The project would be implemented after it is cleared by

the finance ministry, " Rao added.

NACP-II was completed in March this year and the next phase would be

implemented during the 11th five-year plan. The implementation is

likely to start from November this year to 2012.

Under NACP-III, a multi-pronged strategy would be adopted and all

high-risk groups like sex workers, truck drivers, drug users and men

having sex with men would be fully covered as they are the main

sources of infection in the country.

" Since NACP-III will take the HIV/AIDS control programme to the

district level, the government is planning to involve the community

leaders from grassroots in a big way in implementing it.

A National Convention of Zilla Parishad Adhyakshas and mayors form

across India would be held on Tuesday to strengthen the grassroots

level response to HIV/AIDS epidemic in the country, " Rao said.

The convention being jointly organised with the Parliamentarians'

Forum on HIV/AIDS, NACO and UNAIDS is aimed at bringing local

governance mechanism panchayati raj and nagarpalika institutions to

the forefront to battle HIV/AIDS at the district level.

According to NACO, the estimated number of people living with HIV in

India at the end of 2005 was 5.21 million in the age group of 15 to

49 years. Of these, close to 60% are in the rural areas.

There are a number of factors that heighten the vulnerability of the

rural incidence of the disease, including poverty, natural

calamities, ignorance, gender disparities and limited access to

healthcare facilities.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-1869035,curpg-

2.cms

[Guest guest]

Dear Forum Members,

One very important root cause of prevelalence of HIV infection in the rural

areas is rural to urban migration which appears missing

from the policy statement of DG NACO. Initiatives are required to see proper

preventive care amongst the migrant population in the

urban locality, during NACP III.

Air Mshl (retd) Lalji K Verma AVSM

MBBS, pcs, PGD (Env & Ecology),

Hon Fellow ISAM, FRSA

Consultant (Env Protection & Waste Management)

President VIKALP, 253, AFNO Enclave, Plot-11,Sector-7, Dwarka

New Delhi - 110075, Tele +91-11-25094702, +9312626462

E-MAIL: <laljeeverma@...>