Guwahati emerges as the epicenter of India’s war on HIV, with NACO Director General Rakesh Gupta unveiling Mission AIDS Suraksha’s target: HIV control by December 1, 2027. This comes amid a pivotal three-day review meeting addressing National AIDS and STI Control Programme rollout in North-Eastern states.
The region, a hotspot with 60 high-priority districts out of 219 nationwide (excluding Sikkim), retains top billing in the national strategy. Gupta positioned the workshop as the starting point for a rigorous, area-targeted assessment and planning drive to ignite faster advancements.
Serving also as Health Ministry Additional Secretary, Gupta outlined the event’s core mission: bolstering district-centric planning and deployment to hit HIV control milestones ahead of schedule. Meghalaya’s delegates are zeroing in on accelerating interventions in key districts like East Jaintia Hills, East Khasi Hills, Ri Bhoi, and West Jaintia Hills.
This local effort feeds into a massive national campaign, with eleven ‘Suraksha Sankalp Karjshala’ workshops planned for February-March 2026 nationwide, roping in all 219 priority districts. As the opener, Guwahati convenes officials from 60 districts in seven states – Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura.
District reps are hammering out tailored tactics for the 95-95-99 benchmarks, guaranteeing 95% know their HIV status, 95% diagnosed get ongoing ART, and 99% on therapy reach viral suppression.
The agenda covers full NACP scrutiny: ramping up district leadership, scrutinizing fine-grained indicators, pinpointing weaknesses, and devising trend-responsive fixes. Top brass from State AIDS Control Societies and regional leads join in a tri-batch setup for in-depth, state-tailored exchanges.
Anticipated results include state-specific blueprints, cementing the government’s stance on neutralizing HIV/AIDS threats and driving Mission AIDS Suraksha to fruition.