IMPHAL, February 6: Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda today launched the Project Sunrise, a new initiative to tackle the increasing HIV prevalence in the region.
Addressing the launch function at the City Convention Centre, the Union Minister said the project is introduced in the eight North Eastern States for a span of five years.
He said the project is taken up under National AIDS Control Organisation, NACO under an initiative of the Central government.
However, the onus of making it successful lie not only with the NACO or the Health Ministry, every stakeholder should support the initiative, he said.
He said reports say that Manipur tops the adult HIV prevalence with 1.1 percent and Nagaland with more than 1 percent.
Clarifying on the claims of NACO fund not reaching the State AIDS societies, he said the Centre has devised a strategy so that the funds reach the State AIDS societies directly.
He said we are told that earlier the NACO funds were provided to the State government treasuries before reaching the State AIDS societies.
Now, considering the issue, the Centre has decided that the funds will be transferred directly to the State AIDS societies from NACO, he said.
The Union Minister said more than one lakh PLHIV will be covered for treatment under the scheme.
The NACO programme was established in 1992 and was implemented in Manipur in 1996, he said.
The function was also attended by State Health minister Phungzathang Tonsing, Health and Family Welfare minister Meghalaya AL Hek, Manipur State AIDS Society project director PK Jha and NACO additional secretary Navreet Singh.