AIDS awareness campaign in Tamil Nadu industries

[Guest guest]

AIDS awareness campaign in Tamil Nadu industries:

Chennai, July 26 (IANS) :

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Tamil Nadu's AIDS

Prevention and Control (APAC) have together launched an AIDS/HIV

awareness campaign for industrial houses in the state.

The weeklong HIV/AIDS Industry Intervention Project (IIP) will

continue till July 31 and is expected to cover over 10,000 people in

and around Sriperumbudur, about 80 km from here.

It would also impart training to more than 200 people to spread the

message through further outreach programmes.

The project was launched at Saint Gobain Glass India Ltd, where

films on HIV/AIDS will be screened for its employees and outsourced

agencies, open house sessions will be held for high school students,

teachers and mothers.

An exhibition on AIDS awareness, release of audiocassettes on

AIDS/HIV for truck drivers and poster campaign marked the launch

function.

" Large industrial houses in Tamil Nadu needed to come forward to

sensitise their employees on HIV/AIDS awareness and also involve

themselves in community awareness campaigns, " said B. Santhanam,

vice chairman of CII's Tamil Nadu chapter and also Saint Gobain

managing director.

Speaking at the launch, Santhanam noted the state accounted for some

two million registered cases of HIV/AIDS.

Around 150 industries in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry have been

identified under this project. As a preliminary step, 28 companies

have completed the mass orientation programme, covering 6,400 of

their workforce. As many as 64 CEOs have been sensitised and five

companies have already completed their peer educators training.

Among the major industry houses participating in the CII initiative

are Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd, Neyveli Lignite Corporation, Lucas-

TVS, among others.

Saint Gobain Glass India Ltd, a subsidiary of a French glass-making

company, was identified for the first such community extension

project.

Said purna Prasad, convenor, community development panel of the

CII-Tamil Nadu and technical director of National Engineering

Company: " Saint Gobain will be a role model for other industries in

Tamil Nadu on sensitising employees and the community about

HIV/AIDS. "

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