Dimapur, oct 19 (mexn): Chief Ministers of all North-eastern states including Sikkim have been asked to attend a meet which will deliberate on strategies pertaining to the containment of HIV/AIDS. All legislators of the region have been invited to the conclave scheduled to be conducted on November 19 at Guwahati. Central Minister of State for Statistics and Programme Implementation Oscar Fernandes, while holding discussions with media persons at the Police House, Dimapur, informed that Peter Poirot, Executive Director of UNAIDS had agreed to attend the meet.
The initiative is to evolve a strategy to deal with HIV/AIDS, Fernandes said. He remarked, “To fight this menace, we have to work unitedly.” While displaying anxiety over the alarmingly increasing AIDS cases in the country, Fernandes said Nagaland and Manipur display high prevalent rates which is a cause for concern. Upon being queried if adequate security arrangements were being made for the meeting, he responded that the matter would be raised with the Assam Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi. “We are meeting for a good cause. Security will not be a major problem,” he said.
Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio has been asked to confirm his participation. In response to the question concerning the Central Government’s sincerity towards the Northeast, Fernandes replied they were sensitive towards the needs of the region and added that the DONER agency had been instituted specifically for the Northeast. “There is no neglect,” he said. Further, he said that many developmental works and welfare measures had been undertaken by the UPA government for Nagaland.
On learning of the demise JB Jasokie, Fernandes expressed his deepest condolences and said that he had wanted to pay a visit to Jasokie when he was in hospital. He was unable to do so due to certain constraints.
