AP: Bill for Premarital AIDS test

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Bill on AIDS to be tabled in next Assembly session

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ SATURDAY, MARCH 29, 2003 02:00:52 AM ]

HYDERABAD: The state government will introduce a bill to prevent and

control the spread of HIV and Aids in the next session of the

Assembly. Opinions from the public, AP AIDS Control Society and non-

governmental organisations would also be sought on the implementation

of the provisions of the bill.

The `AP Human Immuno Deficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immuno

Deficiency Syndrome (Aids) Prevention Bill-2003' contains provisions

specifying rules for premarital blood test for HIV and Aids and

exchange of medical certificates and production of the same at the

time of marriage registration, law minister P Chandrasekhar said.

According to the provisions of the bill, if a person suffering from

Aids/HIV, dishonestly marries, the person shall be punished for a

term of seven years and with a fine of upto Rs 1 lakh, he said.

Though IPC Sections 269, 270 state that whoever negligently does an

act that is likely to spread the disease may be punishable by

imprisonment for six months or with fine, that too needs to be made

stringent, he said. Inaugurating the state level policy makers

conference on HIV/Aids at Jubilee Hall, Public Gardens here on

Friday, chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu said unless a multi-

pronged approach was employed to create awareness about Aids menace,

it would be difficult to prevent or control its spread.

He informed that the sales tax would be exempted on needles, syringes

and blades to encourage people not to reuse these which can lead to

spread of Aids. Health minister Dr Kodela Sivaprasada Rao said that

the state has the second highest number of about 4 lakh Aids cases.

Leader of the opposition leader Y S Rajasekhar Reddy said awareness

campaign about Aids needed to be taken up at the school level.

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