Concern about poor information-sharing with regard to the promotion of GIPA at Panchayat Level in We

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An open Letter to the Project Director of WBSACS.

Date: 22/08/2008

To,

The

Project Director,

West Bengal State AIDS Prevention & Control Society (WBSAP & CS),

Swastha Bhavan, Sector—V, Salt Lake City, Bidhannager,

Kolkata—700091, West Bengal, India.

Sub: Concern about poor information-sharing with regard to the promotion of GIPA at Panchayat Level in West Bengal.

Respected Sir,

Greeting from Bengal Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (BNP+)!

We would like to draw your kind attention to the fact that BNP+ and 15 of its affiliated DLNs received no information regarding the meeting about Panchayat Raj Information (PRI) had to be held on 22nd August 2008 at West Bengal Technical Support Unit (WBTSU), Bhawani Bhawan office. It appears that the 4 affiliate DLNs that did receive notification had been verbally informed by the GIPA Coordinator of WBSAP & CS – they are: Purulia, Hooghly, Howrah & Darjeeling. BNP+ has only come to know about the meeting from the President of Purulia Network, following which, the Secretary of BNP+ called the GIPA Coordinator for further clarification and for an official invitation. To date, we have not yet received such an invitation.

BNP+ has in the past done advocacy work with honorable Shri M.N. Roy, Principal Secretary of Panchayat and Rural Development Govt. of West Bengal, R.D. Branch, Jessop Building, 63, N.S. Road, Kolkata-700001; dated on 10th April 2008. This work was regarding the promotion of GIPA at Panchayat Level; the minutes of this meeting were then shared by E-Mail, with WBSAP & CS.

Under these circumstances, we have the following queries:

1. Why were only 4 DLNs informed of the meeting?

2. Should not the other 15 of BNP+’s affiliated DLNs & indeed BNP+ it’s self have been involved in the PRI meeting?

3. According to India Govt. Website Information, it has been declared by Indian Govt. that the 2.3 million people who are living with HIV/AIDS in India are going to be involved under NREGA & AAY. How can this involvement take place if you’re not even including the organizations representing these people, let alone the people themselves?

We are therefore writing to strongly protest this kind of biased information sharing, which is not suitable for promoting GIPA in proper way and compromises the whole role of the WBSAP & CS’s GIPA Co-ordinator. Such actions also hamper the mainstreaming efforts of PLWHA. We are looking forward to your prioritisation on resolving these matters. Respected sir, we are expecting your kind and quick action.

Thanking you,

With Love,

Farzana Begum.

CC. To

1. Dr. Surjyakanta Misra, Minister, Health & Family Welfare, Swastha Bhavan, GN-29, Sector – V, Salt Lake City, Kolkata – 700 091,

2. The Director General, National AIDS Control Organization,

3. Director-Finance, National AIDS Control Organization,

4. The Principal Secretary of Panchayat and Rural Development Govt. of West Bengal, R.D. Branch, Jessop Building, 63, N.S. Road, Kolkata-700001,

5. The Joint Director, NACO-Mainstreaming,

6. Dr. Pallav Bhattacharya, UNDP-Mainstreaming,

7. The President of INP+,

8. The Team Leader, West Bengal Technical Support Unit,

In Solidarity,

Farzana Begum,

Vice-President BNP+(West Bengal)

Executive Member of NWF of INP+.

Mobile Number:-09830606804