Imphal, Dec. 1: Government funds for the second phase of HIV/AIDS awareness programmes, taken up by the Manipur State AIDS Control Society (MACS), at five places in each district have been released, said chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh on World AIDS Day today.

The day was observed today at the 1st MR Manipur Rifles ground here and was organised by MACS.

HIV/AIDS programmes need to be conducted periodically and for this the state government has started framing a plan, the chief minister said.

The state government, through MACS, has also trained 312 volunteers of Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan and Red Ribbon Club, which conducted interpersonal communication sessions to 5,789 people as a part of the awareness programme, he added.

Ibobi Singh said the government was also planning to conduct awareness programmes on health in school and colleges. At the same time the government is looking forward to include HIV/AIDS awareness in the school syllabus. As there is no medicine to cure AIDS, people can only prevent the disease through awareness programmes.

As part of the observation, the volunteers of MACS, NGO Forum, Care foundation, Progressive People's Organisation and other 29 NGOs hailing from all the districts, nurses and NCC cadets took out a procession from Kwakeithel to the celebration ground. "Hands up for HIV Prevention" was the theme this year.

Nineteen outstanding MACS staff and NGOs working in the field were awarded. Fourteen stalls showcased the activities of the RIMS, NGOs and MACS.

According to the United Nations Development Programme report 2004-2005, of the 1,22,561 blood samples screened in the country, 19,372 or 15.81 per cent were HIV-positive, of which 3,552 or 18.32 percent were of women. The seroprevalence rate among IDUs in Manipur is the highest in the world. The total number of AIDS cases reported were 2,866. Manipur, with a mere 0.2 per cent of India's population, constitutes nearly 8 per cent of India's total HIV-positive cases.

The US ambassador to India, Richard Verma, who visited Imphal yesterday, assessed the initiatives taken up for the HIV-positive people in partnership with the US government-funded Project Sunrise and ensured all representatives of the US will help fight the epidemic in the Northeast.