AIDS/HIV affected people stage a mass silent in New Delhi

New Delhi, May 4 (ANI): Over 500 outreach workers and representatives of state-level positive network, NGOs and others staged a demonstration here on Tuesday to protest against the termination of the services of 1000 outreach workers.

Highlighting other grievances of this sector, they voiced their displeasure and ire at the failure of the government to provide second line treatment.

"We have outreach workers who are working and most of them are people who are suffering from HIV. In this project the salary of outreach workers was rupees 2500 per month. They are terminated without any information and without job it is very difficult to sustain their life because they have their children, they have to look after their whole family," said Jhanvi Goswami, organisation head of INP+.

"For this reason, we have come here, all other HIV positive people including me have come here to protest," she added.

The INP+ has demanded immediate reinstatement of all the retrenched 1000-outreach workers with arrears paid for the period of their unemployment. They have also demanded that the monthly salaries of these workers should be increased from the present Rs 2500 to at least Rs 6000 per month.

Reportedly, the government terminated the services of the outreach workers without any discussion with Indian Network of People living with AIDS/HIV (INP+), the NGO that was the channelising and monitoring agency. (ANI)