U'khand: CM announces free travel in buses to ART centres for HIV patients

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Wednesday said that people undergoing HIV treatment can now avail free travel service in the state buses to Anti-retroviral therapy (ART) centers to avail medical facilities.

The people who are the residents of the state and undergoing treatment in the state ART centers will also be given Rs 1,000 as a pension.

A fourth meeting of the State AIDS Council was held at the Secretariat on Wednesday under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat.

The Chief Minister also directed the officials that the State AIDS Council meeting should be held from time to time and added that special attention should be paid towards AIDS awareness.

He also advised the members that a study should be conducted on AIDS and its causes in the state so that the purpose of constituting the State AIDS Council can be fulfilled.

He said that by analysing the data obtained from the study, plans can be made to control AIDS. He directed that each department, organisation, and institution should nominate a nodal officer for the AIDS control program.

Public awareness programs should be organised from time to time along with special days for prevention and control of diseases like National Voluntary Blood Donation Day and World AIDS Day.

The Chief Minister said that to make the National AIDS Control Program more effective, the number of doctors should be increased in the state. And so the doctors working on contract basis will also be given the same wages as other general practitioners (contract) of the state. The additional expenditure incurred on this will be borne by the state government.

Cabinet Minister Dr Harak Singh Rawat said that the use of infected syringes for drugs is also a major cause of AIDS among the youth. For this, it is necessary that programs should be organised in schools, colleges, and universities to make the youth aware of it. Also, the Anti-Drugs Campaign should be run continuously by the Police Department.

Secretary Nitesh Jha, B.K. Saint, Additional Secretary Yugal Kishore Pant and other senior officials were also present in the meeting.