December 1^st is the World AIDS Day. On this occasion, a group of 25 people consisting of NGOs working on HIV/AIDS, children and some HIV infected people called on the Prime Minister, Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee in the capital today. One of the members of the group pinned a red ribbon which symbolizes AIDS awareness and offered a bouquet of flowers to the Prime Minister. Shri Dalit Ezhilmalai, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Shri K.K. Baksi, Secretary (Health), Dr. S.P. Agarwal, Director General of Health Services, Shri J.V.R. Prasada Rao, Project Director, National AIDS Control Organisation and other officials were present during this meeting. The Prime Minister has shown keen interest in the problems faced by HIV-infected people in accessing health care, in employment and in the society at large. He listened patiently to their grievances which varied from difficulties in getting admission to hospitals, life insurance for HIV-positive persons and admission to schools for HIV-positive children. The Prime Minister also enquired about the development of a vaccine for HIV in the country.

This is the first interaction that any Prime Minister of the country had with people working in the area of HIV/AIDS. The Prime Minister happily posed for photographs with the children and other members of the group.