By IANS,
New Delhi: There were an estimated 2.3 million people living with HIV in India in 2007, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad informed the Rajya Sabha Friday.
The minister said under the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP)-3 for the period of 2007 to 2012 about Rs.22.62 billion has been earmarked for carrying out various prevention and care and support programmes.
“It is estimated that 2.3 million (1.8 million-2.9 million) people are living with HIV/AIDS in India in 2007,” he said.
“In order to control the spread of HIV/AIDS, government of India is implementing the National AIDS Control Programme as a 100 percent sponsored scheme,” the health minister said.
He added that in July 2007, the government launched phase three of the NACP with the aim to halt and reverse the epidemic in the country over the next five years by integrating programmes for prevention, care, support and treatment.
The minister said in the first phase of the NACP (1992-1999), Rs.4.68 billion was used, while in the second phase (1999 to 2007), Rs.26.21 billion was spent for the prevention, care and support programme carried out by the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO).
He said while the country’s HIV prevalence in the age group of 15 to 49 years is 0.34 percent, in Manipur it is 1.57 percent and in Nagaland 1.20 percent.