Poor HIV/AIDS infected to get financial aid in Delhi

The capital Saturday became the first state in the country to provide a life-long financial assistance ranging from Rs.1,000-2,500 a month to poor people infected with HIV/AIDS. People with HIV/AIDS on anti-retroviral treatment will get Rs.1,000 every month while orphans, destitute or abandoned children infected with HIV/AIDS will be given Rs.2,050. Chief minister Sheila Dikshit distributed cheques to 27 people at the inaugural ceremony of the scheme at the Maulana Azad Medical College. A total of 17 people were children and 10 were women. Dikshit said that almost half of the people living with HIV/AIDS in Delhi were from poor socio-economic background and expressed hope that the scheme will benefit these people. Health Minister A.K. Walia said that the capital had 11,064 people undergoing anti-retroviral treatment (ART) at nine centres across the city. IANS