Imphal, December 13: With most non government organizations, NGOs working in the field of HIV-AIDS awareness and prevention under the aegis of the Manipur AIDS Control Society, MACS, being starved of funds questions have been raised as to whether the present administration is at all sincere about the AIDS control effort in Manipur.

According to reliable sources, AIDS control and prevention work carried out through the MACS has been seriously hampered since April this year with the state government withholding sanction of crucial funds.

Many projects undertaken by various NGOs in the field under the aegis of the MACS are reported to be on the verge of failure due to the same reason.

It may be mentioned, that the National AIDS Control Organization, NACO, had granted an amount of Rs 6.82 crores this year for various HIV/AIDS related projects in Manipur.

Of this, NACO has already released an amount of Rs 2.4 crores to the state.

On the other hand, while the state government has sanctioned funds for payment of salaries and expenditure for MACS, the government for reasons of its own has withheld approval for sanction of funds to the tune of Rs 1.80 crores for carrying out various projects through the NGOs.

This has seriously discouraged the NGOs working in the field, according to the sources.

The work currently being carried out by NGOs under MACs cover targeted intervention and preventive intervention.

12 NGOs are currently working under the Rapid Intervention and Care, RIAC project.

Among these, each NGO was supposed to receive an amount of Rs 1.79 lakhs every six months.

A sum of Rs 31.70 lakhs was earmarked for two community care centres, another amount of Rs 5.56 lakhs for the truckers' project, Rs 5 lakhs for the male homosexual (MSM) project, while Rs 5 lakhs was supposed to be distributed among various district ADIS committees.

None of these funds have been released.

Sources said that even though these projects have not received the required funding from the government, the NGOs involved were managing somehow despite the difficulties.

MACS officials have also expressed the desire for prompt release of funds to the total 16 NGOs working under the society.

LEWS, Chingmeirong, and SHALOM, Churachandpur, which are designated community care centres caring for AIDS patients are also finding it very hard going without the required funds.

In fact, the SHALOM chief functionary, Dr VL Mouna, has intimated the MACS that it is no longer willing to undertake HIV/AIDS projects under MACs.

Sources, pointing out that SHALOM was a pioneer in the field of HIV/AIDS, observed that it was a great loss for the state when such an NGO decided that h it would not undertake HIV/AIDS projects any longer.

According to MACS sources, funding of NGOs working in the field of HIV/AIDS has been withheld on account of the fact that the notification issued by the Union ministry of home affairs, regarding certain NGOs in Manipur having links with underground groups, also mentioned NGOs working under MACS.

The sources said the society has done everything in its power to secure the release of funds.

The sources also mentioned that a team of the NACO was supposed to visit Imphal on December 3 last to look into the situation, but that visit never came off.

The sources observed that the NGOs under MACS were working very sincerely and a team led by the advisor (K) and the commissioner (health) had already vetted their work.

Both the ministry of home affairs and NACO were welcome to investigate their work, the sources said.

The sources also pointed out that if there was any evidence of connection with underground groups, police cases should have been registered and legal action taken up.

Otherwise, the funds should be released and the NGOs allowed to get on with their work, the sources said.

Comment