For the sake of those 2.5 million people living with HIV/AIDS, government should act upon the HIV bill this budget session!!
Knowing that HIV/AIDS is a global concern, wherein governments, multi-lateral institutions and NGOs across the world are leaving no stone unturned to arrest the epidemic, it is appalling that in our country the association of people living in HIV/AIDS have to literally plead with our government to table the HIV Bill. The Bill which has been drafted by Lawyers’ Collective HIV/AIDS Unit, with an objective of safeguarding the interests of people living with HIV/AIDS and also to prevent and control the epidemic, had been approved by the Ministry of Health and was forwarded to the Ministry of Law in August 2006! Since then it has been languishing with the Law Ministry, waiting to be tabled and for a go-ahead from our honourable parliamentarians! Forget taking any cue from the proactive measures which governments across the world have been taking, it is literally shocking that even after knowing that this Bill affects the basic survival of a staggering 2.5 to 3 million people, who are living...