Al Ngullie
Dimapur | May 3
Ending months of speculations and a good dose of scare over allegations of fund-misuse recently, Nagaland State AIDS Control Society (NSACS) finally has a new project director. Dr Neiphie Kire. The appointment of Dr Kire, from a medical background, kaputs the National AIDS Control Organization’s insistence for a Civil Service officer, preferably an IAS cadre, to hold the helm of NSACS activities.
The joint director of Health & Family Welfare department, Dr L Yanthan takes over Dr. Kire’s chair of additional project director.
Dr Neiphie Kire took over as project director from May 1, succeeding Dr Kumuni. Dr Kumuni, largely considered the architect of the foremost HIV/AIDS-specified society in the state, was promoted (with transfer) . Dr Kire was then appointed additional project director on February 23.
The first task the new NSACS project director would take up is streamlining the Society’s networking activities. Dr Kire said to ‘settle down’ first and put things in order. Then he will streamline the system, Dr Kire said, explaining that the on-way National AIDS Control Programme Phase-III (NACP-III) would be the particular point of focus. He assured to work the NACP-III according to the guideline issued by the NACO on implementation.
The new NSACS chief also expressed to work in closer coordination with AIDS-specified NGOs and implementing agencies. “We talk a lot about HIV/AIDS but we tend to overlook many issues” Dr Kire observed and on this, he opined that better, and definitely closer, coordination with implementing agencies would further the cause greatly. He highlighted field-supervision, targeted-intervention as the points of reference in his objective to streamline the ‘system’ and enhance networking.
Mention may be made here that a charge alleging fund misuse surfaced against the NSACS/Health & Family department for which enquiry was earlier assured to be made by the state government as well as the committee on HIV/AIDS of the State Assembly. Further, the matter took some side-rolling when the National AIDS Control Organization insisted on a Civil Service officer to man the NSACS project director chair. The NACO had earlier expressed preference for an IAS officer, toeing the line of certain stipulations from the World Bank. The World Bank, which is allocating a proposed fund of 1 billon for the programme stipulated a guideline calling for an administrative entity to man the project itself.
The contravention in the guideline is observed to have been made on the contention of many an NGO and definitely the state government earlier that “there is much shortage of IAS” in Nagaland, as a senior state official told this daily.
This was taken into cognizance considering that the NACP-III – initially envisaged to commence on April 1, 2007 – demanded ‘good’ management and effective dispensation of implementation protocol. The NSACS was also earlier said to have submitted a weighty proposal of 24 Crore for the programme.
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