Orissa Govt's Plan To Include HIV-AIDS People In BPL List : A Review

The Original story was published in Orissa Diary (Bhubaneswar, India) in 09 May 2010, and the story is as follows.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said his Government is planning to include HIV/AIDS affected persons of the State in the up–coming BPL list. Patnaik said his Government is taking steps to help AIDS–affected persons and their family to live normal life.

He said this while welcoming the AIDS campaigner Red Ribbon Express (RRE) at Mancheswar Railway station here amidst blowing of conch and other musical instruments by cultural troupes. 

Addressing the gathering, Finance Minister Prafulla Chandra Ghadai said until today 1,150 people have been died in Odisha and 16,733 have remained affected with AIDS. Stating that Odisha is a low prevalence State having less than one per cent of AIDS patients in the country, the Joint Director of NACO Manyank Agrawal praised Odisha Government for taking many a steps for the AIDS affected. He also called upon volunteers to create awareness during its two days stay on May 9 and 10.

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Critical Appraisal:

I think the step by Odisha govt will conflict the basic profile of the AIDS patient. This step is taken (as I think) believing on the fact that majority of the AIDS patients are poor, which is not true anymore. If it is so, then including them into BPL list will help those. 

But the key profile of the AIDS patient is secrecy, no patient wants to be recognized and court has mandate to the hospitals to not to disclose their profile to the society. And making the patients fall into BPL list will label them as AIDS victim, and our society is not so broad minded to accept the fact (though steps are in full fledged to spread the awareness).

In my view, no AIDS patient will come forward to be known as an AIDS patient, forget about inclusion in the BPL list. And govt announcement has not specified anything regarding identification and inclusion process of AIDS patient into BPL list. 

So it will be a better step, if taken, to spread awareness about AIDS rather than this kind of schemes.

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