Mizoram, Nagaland record highest adult HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in India

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Aizawl/Kohima, June 19 (IANS) Two northeastern states – Mizoram and Nagaland – continue to have the highest HIV prevalence rate in India, officials said on Thursday.

According to officials, the HIV/AIDS adult (15 to 49 years) prevalence rate in these two northeastern states is much higher than the national prevalence rate of 0.20 per cent.

According to the data of National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate in Mizoram is 2.73 per cent and in Nagaland is 1.37 per cent.

The HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate in the two northeastern states is also much higher than other 35 states and Union Territories.

As per the NACO data, the prevalence rate in four northeastern states — Manipur (0.87 per cent), Meghalaya (0.43 per cent), Tripura (0.37 per cent), Arunachal Pradesh (0.25 per cent) – is also higher than the national average of 0.20 per cent.

Only two northeastern states – Assam (0.13 per cent) and Sikkim (0.11 per cent) — have a prevalence rate less than the national average.

Mizoram Health and Family Welfare Minister Lalrinpuii called for urgent, coordinated efforts to effectively deal with the alarmingly rising cases of HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate in the state.

Addressing the governing body meeting of the Mizoram State AIDS Control Society (MSACS) in Aizawl, the Minister said that the situation leaves no room for complacency and requires intensified intervention across sectors.

MSACS Project Director Dr Jane Rinzuali Ralte informed the meeting that 2,069 new cases of People Living with HIV (PLHIV) were registered at the state’s 14 Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) centres during 2024-2025.

Of those receiving treatment, 97.7 per cent have achieved viral suppression, meaning they can no longer transmit the virus to others, she said.

Ralte also noted a steady decline in new cases of HIV/AIDS over the past five years in Mizoram, but the state continues to remain at the top in terms of HIV prevalence.

As part of its multipronged efforts, MSACS conducted HIV testing and treatment literacy campaigns in de-addiction centres, along with intensive Information, Education and Communication (IEC) outreach in all 11 districts last year. Candlelight vigils were also held in memory of those who lost their lives to HIV/AIDS.

The MSACS Project Director said that the Mizoram State Blood Transfusion Council (MSBTC) had won the prestigious ‘Excellence in Blood Donation 2023–24’ award, being recognised as the best-performing council in the entire northeast region.

Meanwhile, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha recently stressed that to build a healthier society, a reduction in drug abuse, HIV/AIDS, and child marriage is a must. Saha, who is a dental surgeon, emphasised the need to tackle the rising cases of drug abuse, particularly among injectable drug users, which has led to an increase in HIV/AIDS patients in the state.

–IANS

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Over 1,000 shops gutted in devastating fire at Kolkata’s Khidirpur

Kolkata, June 16 (IANS) A devastating fire broke out at a busy marketplace in the Khidirpur area of South Kolkata, West Bengal, early Monday morning, gutting over 1,300 shops. No casualties have been reported so far.

A total of 20 fire tenders are already on the spot trying to bring the fire under control. An official of the state fire services department present at the spot said the fire had been brought under control to a great extent and to the point that it would not spread further.

“However, the problem that is now being faced by the fire-fighters is identifying the hidden ‘fire pockets’ and bringing them under control, following which it could be said that the situation is totally under control. After the task of identifying and deactivating the hidden ‘fire-pockets’ is over, the cooling process will start,” the fire department official said.

However, the local people have alleged that the fire would not have taken the devastating shape had the fire tenders reached the spot in time. The state fire services minister, Sujit Bose, who rushed to the place in the morning, however, denied the allegations.

“This is a baseless allegation. Since the requirement of fire tenders in this case was more, these vehicles reached the spot from multiple locations like Watganj and Garden Reach. The firefighters are risking their lives to bring the situation under control. At the same time, the owners of the shops were also negligent in adopting fire safety norms. I am not trying to blame anybody. But we will be investigating the matter,” Bose said.

However, the local traders, whose shops were gutted, claim otherwise. “First, the fire tenders reached late. Secondly, the vehicles that reached first did not have enough water. Thereafter, arrangements were made to pump water from the nearby flowing stream of the River Ganges. All these delayed the process to a great extent,” a local trader said.

It is learned that the fire was spotted at around 2 a.m. Besides informing the central control line of the state fire services department, the local people also started the initial task of firefighting. However, because of the congested area where the marketplace was located, the fire started spreading rapidly, and the entire market area came under the grip of fire within a very short period.

“Fortunately, the fire broke out at a time when there were hardly any people in the market area. Had the fire broken out in the daytime, there could have been several casualties. However, we fear that the value of the loss of property and assets because of the fire is huge,” said the fire department official.

–IANS

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Shutdown in K’taka’s Srirangapatna against farmers’ land records listed as Waqf properties

Mandya (Karnataka), Jan 20 (IANS) Shops and traditional markets in Karnataka’s historical town of Srirangapatna remained closed on Monday following a bandh call given by farmers’ organisations and Hindu activists to protest against the inclusion of farmers’ lands as Waqf properties.

The farmers are protesting the inclusion of their lands in the Record of Rights, Tenancy, and Crops (RTC) records as Waqf properties.

Locals alleged that the land records of more than 50 farmers in the villages of Kiranguru, Shettyhalli, Baburayanakoppalu, and Darasakuppe now show their properties as owned by the Waqf board. This development has caused panic and concern among the farming community in the region.

Although the records indicate that the properties are in the possession of the farmers, the ownership is attributed to the Waqf board. Farmers noted that whenever there is a sale deed or a loan involved, the names of the bank or relevant parties are typically mentioned in the records. However, in this case, without any such transactions, the land records have been updated showing the Waqf board as the owner.

The issue came to light when some farmers reviewed their RTC records for property sales or division purposes.

Hindu activists also alleged that several historical monuments in and around Srirangapatna, including the ‘Maddina Mane’ (armoury), have been listed as properties of the Waqf board.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Bajrang Dal, Raitha Sangha, Mandya Rakshana Vedike, and other organisations have come together to protest the development and called for a voluntary bandh on Monday. Farmers planned to stage a protest with their cows and other cattle.

In response to the bandh call, local business owners and shopkeepers did not open their establishments in Srirangapatna. The town, historically significant as the former capital of the Mysuru kingdom under Tipu Sultan, witnessed widespread support for the protest.

The BJP earlier launched a statewide agitation regarding the Waqf row under the slogan “Our Land, Our Right”. Following massive protests, the Congress-led Karnataka government announced the withdrawal of notices issued to farmers by the Waqf board.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Minister for Waqf and Housing Zameer Ahmad Khan assured the House that any discrepancies in the land records would be corrected. They also stated that the Waqf board would not claim ownership of temple properties.

–IANS

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NFR to restore operations of actual number of passenger trains prior to Covid phase

Guwahati, Dec 28 (IANS) The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has decided to run all 60 pairs of passenger trains with their regular numbers as they were running prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, officials said here on Saturday.

A senior official of the NFR said that as per a decision by the Railway Board, all NFR-run passenger trains (ICF/DEMU/LHB) would be operated with regular number (instead of the existing ‘0’ numbering system).

All the 60 pairs of passenger trains would operate as per earlier frequency with their earlier train numbers from January 2025 onwards, he said.

Out of the 60 pairs of passenger trains, four pairs would operate from Tinsukia Division, 19 pairs from Lumding Division, 10 pairs from Rangiya Division, six pairs from Alipurduar Division (West Bengal) and 21 pairs would operate from Katihar Division (Bihar).

The details of stoppages and timings of all the 60 pairs of trains are available on the IRCTC website and the social media platforms of the NFR.

According to the official, during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020-21, the railway ran special trains with a little higher fare and these systems still continued.

The NFR operates in the northeastern states and in seven districts of West Bengal and five districts of northern Bihar with more than 6,400 km of tracks in its jurisdiction.

The official said that the NFR has been making a constant endeavour to make train journeys safer and secure.

He said that during the month of November, the NFR installed Thick Web Switch Point machines with clamp-type locking in 31 stations across the zone to further improve the safety features.

To further enhance efficiency and safety, NFR has carried out various upgrades and replacements to its existing signalling system in several sections within the zone, the official stated.

–IANS

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