Delhi Cabinet on Tuesday approved a proposal of Department of Social Welfare proposal for the enhancement of the amount of financial assistance to the people living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus infection and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS). According to Government's database, 27,250 cases have been reported of people living with HIV/AIDS.
“ These patients are Anti Retroviral Treatment (ART) in Delhi at the 11 ART centres located in the Major Government Hospitals in Delhi, run under National AIDS Control Programme (NACP),” Delhi Government said in its official statement, adding, “out of these registered patients, there are 81 double orphans (29 infected with HIV/AIDS, 29 Infected Destitute, 23 double orphan children who are not infected by HIV but have been affected by HIV due to death of their parents, who were HIV infected.”
While most of these PlHAs are poor and may not be in a position to meet the cost of transportation for visiting the ART centre regularly for Anti Retroviral treatment.
“They are often malnourished, suffer from stigma and discrimination, and cannot afford proper education, including cost for buying education related material and transportation to school, affecting their long-term survival in the community,” said a Delhi government official.
Besides, the cabinet also approved a proposal for removing the age restriction on financial assistance to individuals with special needs.
This further means that there will be no age restriction for financial Assistance to persons with Special Needs - the pension, as per the quantum in existence at the time, will be continued lifelong or until the conditions under which the assistance was granted no longer exist.
However, as a matter of clarity, the beneficiary will not be eligible for pension under more than one scheme among the three schemes for the old age, persons with disability and pension to women in distress.