“RED RIBON EXPRESS” FOR AIDS AWARENESS

New Delhi, December 13 (INFA): The Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF) has conceptualised a train, “Red Ribbon Express”, intended to generate HIV/AIDS awareness in rural areas.

Over 15,000 gram panchayats would be covered across the country by the programme. The plan is aimed at contributing to the national goal of reducing the rate of new HIV infections to zero by 2007.

The project will be a collaborative effort of the Foundation and the National AIDS Control Organisation. The Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan has been identified as the chief implementing agency. The project will be implemented in two phases. Phase I will be of one-year duration and will focus on environment building involving all the stakeholders.

Starting its journey from Delhi, the Red Ribbon Express will have a total of 180 halts. It will be equipped with facilities to provide awareness, counselling, testing, care and support, training and management of STIs.

The train will have an auditorium-cum-training centre, a counselling-testing-care and support unit, an exhibition and resource centre and an accommodation facility for the staff and performing artistes.

There will be around 60 artistes in the train.  During the train’s halt at a station, the performing artistes will be divided into different groups. Each group will have speakers and performers who will go to different villages to undertake IEC activities such as street plays, folk songs, stories and group counselling sessions.

The second phase of the project will focus on sustainable behaviour-change communication in 12 highly vulnerable States.  While preliminary planning is over, discussions are being held with the Ministry of Railways.  The project is expected to be launched soon.

In India around 5,00,000 people die of TB each year. With the increase in prevalence of HIV/AIDS, new challenges arise, as TB is one of the common opportunistic infections found in HIV positive people. ---INFA.

Hyderabad on World Aviation Map

Hyderabad, December 13 (INFA): The stage is set for placing the city of Hyderabad on the global airport circuits in the next three years.  Work on the state-of-the-art Hyderabad International Airport with a capacity to handle over 7 million passengers traffic every year will commence shortly.

The airport at Shamshabad on the outskirts of Hyderabad is located centrally with two hours of flying time from major cities in India.  It will have 30 aircraft parking stands.

The first phase of the works are expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2008. ---INFA.