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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Tamil Nadu NGOs list dead, draw funds to control AIDS -Pushpa Narayan

Tamil Nadu NGOs list dead, draw funds to control AIDS -Pushpa Narayan

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published Published on Mar 5, 2013   modified Modified on Mar 5, 2013
-The Times of India

CHENNAI: At least 100 sex workers who died more than two years ago continued to be listed by non-governmental organizations as beneficiaries of Tamil Nadu government's AIDS control programmes.

A report compiled by Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society (Tansacs) in November 2012 showed that several NGOs working with high-risk populations were fudging documents and names. Many sex workers were on the list for more than 15 years, others were as old as 59.

A shocked Tansacs terminated the services of 10 NGOs. "We thought it was the right thing to do. Our evaluation process has no space for prejudice," said Tansacs project director Kumar Jayant.

In March 2012, when funding agencies such as UNAIDS and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation wound up operations and handed over projects to Tansacs, the society ordered an evaluation of all projects. In Salem and Namakkal districts, at least 23 dead people had not been taken off the HIV/AIDS risk group registers. "Some women were alive but too old for sex work. Yet, they weren't removed from the register. When we asked the NGOs to strike off such names, they opposed it," said a senior official in charge of the evaluation process.

The NGOs said they did not want to delete names as it would reduce funding. Funds are allotted to NGOs depending on the number of people they serve. Tansacs allots Rs 14 lakh to Rs 15 lakh for 1,500 people on the register. NGO representative A Bakthavatchalam said the review was too stringent. "The officials were prejudiced and insensitive while dealing with sex workers. When we are dealing with commercial sex workers, we won't have details about their place of stay," he said.

The NGOs went on a strike and threatened to derail the AIDS prevention programmes. Last week, Tansacs' executive body reversed the termination orders and gave the NGOs till June to correct the errors. Lakshmi Bai, who was heading one of the programmes, said Tansacs did not monitor the NGOs for a long time. "If they were monitoring carefully, they would not have been surprised now," she said.

The Times of India, 5 March, 2013, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Tamil-Nadu-NGOs-list-dead-draw-funds-to-control-AIDS/articleshow/18804526.cms


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