MASSIVE AIDS
PREVENTION PLAN
New Delhi, 24 October 2005
New Delhi, October 25 (INFA): HIV/AIDS is a monster, and if
not challenged soon it has the power to reverse the socio-economic gains made
by the country since independence, according to the Union Health Minister,
Ambumani Ramadoss.
The Minister has stressed that the leap Indian economy
poised to make, stands seriously threatened as the pandemic (HIV/AIDS) could
reduce productive work force, increase social and medical costs in a way that
would force diversion of budgets allocated for developmental programmes.
Fighting AIDS is an extremely challenging task, which
requires untiring efforts by the Government and the society at large and in
particular the youth.
The Union Government and several other organisations
concerned with the prevention of the dreaded disease have taken various
initiatives in this direction.
The Minister has disclosed that a unique mass mobilization
campaign called “Red Ribbon Express” designed to traverse the length and breadth
of the country will cover 180 stations and 40,000 panchayats. It is expected to create over 1,00,000
trained youth volunteers to campaign against HIV/AIDS.
The epidemic unevenly distributed across the nation may also
affect Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh,
which have low prevalence rate.
The pattern of two-way migration found in prime income
generating population necessities that people are not only made aware of the
risk in transmission and prevention of HIV/AIDS but also equipped to deal with
risk situations.
Condom use needs to be improved and widened. Changing the mind set of service providers is
also an important task in this, Ramadoss has recommended.---INFA
NRI CELL IN ANDHRA
Hyderabad, October 25 (INFA): Andhra Pradesh has decided to set up
a cell in the United States
to attract more investments from NRIs.
There is a big population of rich NRIs from Andhra Pradesh
in the US
and 50 per cent of them are top class professionals. Most of them desire to contribute more for
the development of the home State.
It may be added that the AP Development Council for NRIs in
the US
will act as an interface between the State and the NRIs.---INFA
|