Gandhi to flag off AIDS awareness train on Tuesday

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Gandhi to flag off AIDS awareness train on Tuesday

New Delhi: United Progressive Alliance chief Gandhi will flag off a

special AIDS awareness train - the Red Ribbon Express - from Delhi Dec 1, the

World AIDS Day.

According to the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), Gandhi will flag off

the multi-theme train to mobilise mass awareness across 22 states of the country

before it returns to the national capital. The train will stop at 152 stations

during its year-long journey.

Voluntary workers will go around the nearby locations to counsel people about

HIV and AIDS when the train stops in the selected stations. There will be

counselling facility for people inside the train. The volunteers will also

involve the local people and hold street plays to make villagers aware about the

disease in areas where the incidence is high.

India has at least 2.5 million HIV positive people, including over 80,000

children below the age of 15.

Besides Gandhi, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, Railway Minister Mamata

Banerjee and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit will be present at the

Safdarjung railway station at the train flagging ceremony.

In 2007 also, a red ribbon express was flagged off and concluded its journey

after traversing the country. According to NACO, the first experience was a

great success and they are repeating it with the help from the railway ministry.

(Source: IANS) Published: Sun, 29 Nov 2009

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