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The Union Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports, Shri Sunil Dutt has said that the Government, NGOs and every section of the society will have to make concerted effort to fight the menace of HIV/AIDS which has now spread its tentacles in every State of the country including the rural areas. He said that even the political parties should keep aside their differences and make united efforts to help eradicate this disease.
He was addressing here today the Valedictory session of a three day workshop organized for identifying key issues on HIV/AIDS in Indian scenario under the Red Ribbon Express Project conceptualized by the NACO (National AIDS Control Organization) and Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and with Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (an autonomous body under the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports) as the chief implementing agency.
Expressing his confidence that this project would be a great success, Shri Dutt said that it is a unique attempt to generate awareness on HIV/AIDS in over 29,000 areas in urban and rural parts of the country. The Minister expressed the hope that this endeavor would help achieving the national objective of reducing the rate of new HIV infections in highly vulnerable States by the year 2007.
The Red Ribbon Project is planned to generate awareness on HIV/AIDS issues across the country wherein four special trains will start from four different directions i.e. from Jammu (J&K), Jodhpur (Rajasthan), Kanyakumari (Tamil Nadu) and Guwahati (Assam). These special trains will move on different routes, will cover a distance over 6,000 kms each and hold over 29,000 programmes and activities in villages/urban areas. It is expected that the project in its process will train and orient over 60,000 persons on the issue of HIV/AIDS and the project shall reach a population over 14.5 crore.
The representatives from Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, National AIDS Control Organization, Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan, UNICEF, World Health Organization (WHO) and a large number of NGO’s participated in the Workshop. Besides, several experts on the issue of HIV/AIDS and experts from the field of performing arts and training also participated to help chalk out the awareness programme.
Shri S.Y. Qureshi, Chief of the National Aids Control Orgnization (NACO), Dr. Shakeel Ahmed Khan, Vice Chairperson, Nehru Yuvak Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) and renowned social worker Ms. Nafisa Ali were also present on the occasion.
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