The Government of Andhra Pradesh has launched a massive awareness campaign on the dangers of HIV/AIDS on the eve of Microsoft chief Bill Gates' visit to Hyderabad on November13/14. This is considered a strategic move by the Naidu government to draw the attention of Bill Gates, who has already arrived in New Delhi and announced $100 million to the anti-AIDS campaign in India. While the state government will extend a state guest status to him during his visit, it will be condoms all the way to Bill Gates in Hyderabad. Under a government order it is compulsory for all public functions to begin with a talk on HIV/AIDS and condoms.
Besides addressing government officials and a few Collectors on issues such as AIDS and immunization at Jubilee Hall on November 14, Gates, accompanied by the Chief Minister, would fly to Shadnagar, in Mehboobnagar district, by a helicopter and inaugurate the second phase of the Children's Vaccination Programme (CVP) and visit a few villages and a couple of HIV clinics. The Bill Gates Foundation is already committed to provide $25 million for the CVP in the state spread over five years.
While Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu had directed the Excise Commissioner to make it mandatory for liquor shops to freely distribute condoms with every purchase and asked the officials to display condoms at public meetings and official functions, Health Minister Dr Sivaprasad Rao had gone further and said condoms would be sold at all fair price shops. An awareness campaign with the slogan “ Live and let live” aimed at young people, self-help groups, youth clubs, and students would also be launched in the state on World AIDS Day on December 1, Dr Rao said.
Meanwhile, the AP State AIDS Control Society (APSACS) will identify over 4,000 kirana shops, public booths, paan shops and barber shops across the state in the next few days to retail condoms. A plan has been drawn up to impart training to the traders so that the 'men and material' will be in place by March next year. Stress will be laid not only on stocking condoms, but also in displaying them. This will make people less hesitant in buying condoms. About Rs 200 will be given as monthly incentives to the shopkeepers. To make the training programme effective, magicians and stage artistes are proposed to be involved, according to APSACS Director K Damayanti.
Addressing a press conference on Sunday, the Health Minister said a special AIDS awareness programme covering a majority of colleges would be launched to impart training to 700 NSS volunteers who would work as peer educators. Dr Rao said 13 lakh school children and five lakh college students would be sensitised under the programme.
The government would not spare even the legislators. In a move to sensitise the legislators to the dreaded disease, the government is planning to conduct a one-day condom exhibition in the Assembly premises during the winter session, which started on Monday.
Dr Rao said though the government wanted to make pre-marital blood test compulsory, it was not in a hurry to introduce a Bill in the winter session. The opinion of the legislators, Indian Medical Association, legal experts, the media and various sections of society would be sought before introducing legislation, he said. “We will introduce the Bill only when everybody approves. It cannot be rushed through,” Dr Rao said.