India, World Bank sign loan agreement for NACP III to combat AIDS

New Delhi, July5 (UNI) India today signed a Loan Agreement with the World Bank for 250 million dollars for the "Third phase of the National HIV/AIDS Control Project'' to combat the disease and reverse the epidemic.

The agreement was signed by Mr Madhusudan Prasad, Joint Secretary (Fund Bank), Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance on behalf of Government of India and Ms. Isabel M. Guerrero, Country Director, World Bank, on behalf of the World Bank.

The loan would support the NACP III (2007- 2012) which is aimed at promotion of behavioural change by scaling up prevention efforts in the High Risk Groups and the general population. It would also lay emphasis on increased care, support and treatment of people living with HIV/AIDS.

The World Bank is supporting this project, which would close on September 30, 2012, through its soft IDA window.

Besides the World Bank, United Kingdom's Department for International Development (DfID) is also providing a grant in a principal amount of GBP 100 million through a common pool. An agreement to this effect was also signed between DfID and Government of India today. The agreement was signed by Mr Kumar Sanjay Krishna, Joint Secretary (Bilateral Cooperation) on behalf of Government of India, and Mr. Mark Lewis, Acting Head, DfID (India) on behalf of DfID, UK.

Other development partners supporting the project include the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, USAID and UN system organizations.

UNI