EMN
Dimapur, July 25
NACO today directed Nagaland State Aids Control Organisation (NSACS) to release two months budget towards the Network of Nagaland Drugs and AIDS Organisation (N-NagaDAO) working for its Targeted Intervention Drop in Centres. The news has been received with a sense of relief amongst NGO’s working with ID users. The President of the Indian Drug Users Forum and Advisor to N-NagaDAO today wrote to NACO appreciating his role in averting a crisis in the targeted intervention programe.
Earlier this week, the non release of grants for 2013-2014 saw members of N-NagaDAO stage a two day cease work protest to express resentment over the delayed release of funds.
For now, a crisis seems to have been short fused. Non intervention by NACO would have hit the drug use harm reduction programme in 53 drop in centres (DIC) across the state. The N-NagaDAO cares for over 18,000 intravenous drug users who visit these centres. A majority of the target group are between the ages of 22 years to 35.
The flow fund goes to maintain a steady supply of needles and syringes and medicines any interruption in this chain endangers the target group. Efforts.”All efforts are related to behaviour, if there is a breach then they may go back to their earlier behavior”, said WC Humstsoe President N-NagaDAO.
While the news today gives some respite to the NGO’s, the larger question being asked is how the Government of India will fund the “Harm Reduction” programme of NACO which till March 2013 was being funded by the World Bank.
