Indian Police Force Launches HIV/AIDS Awareness Program

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Indian Police Force Launches HIV/AIDS Awareness Program Aimed at

Officers, Soldiers

[Apr 22, 2008]

India's Central Reserve Police Force on Saturday launched an HIV/AIDS

awareness campaign aimed at officers and soldiers in an effort to

reduce the spread of the disease, ANI/Thaindian News reports. Under

the program, CRPF will provide personnel with education about the

disease and information about prevention methods. The police force

also will establish condom vending machines. " Since people are often

awkward and shy while buying condoms, we have taken care to maintain

privacy while placing the machines, " M.V. Rao, chief medical officer

for CRPF, said. In addition, CRPF plans to establish a voluntary

confidential counseling testing center, ANI/News reports.

According to ANI/News, India's Ministry of Home Affairs in 2007

informed the country's Parliament that 1,363 officers and soldiers

were living with HIV/AIDS. Of these, 521 were from CRPF, ANI/News

reports. In addition to the reported cases of HIV/AIDS among CRPF

personnel, 458 cases have been recorded among the Assam Rifles, 239

among the Border Security Force, 105 in the Central Industrial

Security Force, 25 in the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, nine in the

Sashastra Seema Bal and six among the National Security Guard,

ANI/News reports (ANI/Thaindian News, 4/19).

http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=51666

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Kashmir cops participate in AIDS awareness campaign

April 19th, 2008 - 4

Rambagh, Apr 19 (ANI): Personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force

(CRPF) are participating in an AIDS awareness programme that began on

Saturday. Wary of its personnel becoming victims of AIDS, the CRPF is

educating its personnel about the disease.

Officers and soldiers are being instructed about the precautions to

be taken to safe themselves from the deadly disease.

" We have established condom vending machines in our campus after

getting the green signal from the company. Since people are often

awkward and shy while buying condoms, we have taken care to maintain

privacy while placing the machines, " said Dr. M. V. Rao, chief

medical officer, CRPF Group Center. " Most of the time, we are on the

move. We know that AIDS is spreading across the world and were

provided instruction on combating the menace, " said Shabir Ahmed, a

CRPF personnel.

" A Force Aids Control Cell " has been set up at the central level

under which regional aids control cell operate. The CRPF also plans

to establish its own Voluntary Confidential Counselling Testing

(VCCT) center to manage the prevention of this deadly disease better.

In 2007, the Home Ministry had informed Parliament that a total of

1,363 paramilitaries are currently suffering from AIDS.

Of these, 521 are from the CRPF, 458 from the Assam Rifles, while the

Border Security Force (BSF) has reported 239 HIV/AIDS cases, the

Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) 105, Indo-Tibetan Border

Police 25, National Security Guard six and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB)

nine cases respectively. (ANI)

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/sports/kashmir-cops-participate-

in-aids-awareness-campaign_10039769.html