TERI-BCSD India hosts 'Capacity Building Workshop to Scale up Corporate Response to HIV/AIDS' in Bangalore

Bangalore, Apr 3 (ANI/Business Wire India): TERI with its business council arm, TERI-BCSD India, a 76 company strong platform of Indian corporates in consonance with GTZ, organised a 'Capacity building workshop to scale up corporate response to HIV/AIDS' to strengthen Indian industry's response to the AIDS epidemic.

In a workshop, it was again reiterated that corporates have immense potential to make the fight against HIV/AIDS successful in India and will have to take immediate action, or face the direct consequences.

The workshop brought together major companies like Hindustan Uniliver, Reliance Industry, Mphasis, Intel, BILT, Infosys and DCM Sriram Chemicals Limited at a common platform to address this issue.

Annapurna Vancheswaran, Director, TERI, leading this effort said, "The workshop encouraged learning through sharing and helped to gear more companies to build their skills so as to implement workplace programmes and initiate better reporting systems and improved action to stem the spread of HIV/AIDS in India".

The workshop also had the presence of State Aids Control Societies (SACS) from Goa, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

The expert included Population Service International (PSI), International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Dr. Henri Hombergh from GTZ, who shared his decade long experience in combating HIV/AIDS in Africa.

The opening session of the workshop had the presence of P. Dasgupta, the first Director General, NACO and currently the Director of Bangalore International Centre.

TERI-BCSD India, along with the private sector, has been addressing the issue of HIV/AIDS in India through dialogue and research and has been instrumental in spreading the awareness of HIV/AIDS through crporate association.

India now has the second largest number of HIV/AIDS cases in the world and the occurrence is the highest in the 18-40 years age group, which constitutes the most economically productive workforce of the country.

The problem is now not just a health issue - it has acquired serious social and economic implications.

ANI