Amid rising concerns over the growing HIV epidemic in Meghalaya, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Friday announced a five-year “mission-mode” programme with an estimated outlay of ₹25 crore to curb the alarming spread of HIV/AIDS in the state.
The proposal was approved by the state cabinet during its final meeting of the year.
Explaining the rationale behind the decision, Sangma said the government felt the need for an aggressive and focused intervention due to the sharp rise in HIV cases.
“The way we have formulated the DREAM project, we realised that with the alarming rate of increase of HIV/AIDS in our state, we need to come up with a mission-mode programme to reduce the overall growth of HIV in our society,” the Chief Minister told reporters.
He said the cabinet has approved the programme for a period of five years, with a tentative budget allocation of ₹5 crore per year.
“It is a five-year mission-mode programme with an estimated allocation of ₹25 crore. The funds will be utilised for strengthening infrastructure, awareness programmes, campaigns, and various activities to be carried out under this mission,” Sangma said.
Highlighting the seriousness of the situation, the Chief Minister said the rate of growth of HIV infections was a major concern for the government.
“The growth rate was something we found quite alarming,” he added.
Sangma revealed that Meghalaya’s HIV burden has intensified in recent years, with the state’s adult HIV prevalence at 0.43 percent, more than double the national average of 0.21 percent.
As of 2024, around 9,589 people are living with HIV in Meghalaya, while new infections continue to remain high at approximately 982 cases annually, he said.
The government hopes the mission-mode approach will significantly slow down new infections and strengthen prevention, awareness, and treatment efforts across the state.