India has got the largest single-country grant in Asia of $130 million to fight HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
In the second round of funding finalised in January, the country was given $100 million to prevent HIV/AIDS and $30 million to fight tuberculosis.
The hike in support to AIDS programmes is in recognition of the rapid spread of the disease in the country.
"Critical to any global effort to fight AIDS is preventing the Indian epidemic from exploding, which will otherwise occur over the course of this decade," said Richard Feachem, executive director of Global Fund.
While official figures state a different story, the general perception is that the AIDS epidemic in the country is more severe than is acknowledged.
"The grant for HIV/AIDS will be used to prevent mother-to-child transmission, implement a comprehensive care package for HIV-infected mothers, their infants and partners, and increase access to anti-retroviral treatment through public-private partnerships," said Meenakshi Datta Ghosh, additional secretary, ministry of health and family welfare.
Over the full term of the five-year proposals that have been cleared, more than 7 million pregnant women in Jharkhand, Uttaranchal and Chhattisgarh will be offered HIV testing and counselling, and over 350,000 women across the country will be provided antiretroviral prophylaxis to help prevent transmission to their babies.
Global Fund also signed an agreement to fund a $8.6-million tuberculosis programme, approved in April 2002. It will provide $5.7 million for the first two years of the 3-year project.
This program will expand the ongoing Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme to cover 56 million people in all 47 districts of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Uttaranchal. Additionally, it will provide funding to a non-government organisation in Chennai.
The grant for tuberculosis would enable rapid scaling up and expanded coverage of the Directly Observed Therapy Short Course programme in geographical territories and population segments within India, not covered so far, Ghosh added.
Global Fund has committed $866 million to 60 countries over two years under its second round of funding. Sixty per cent of the money will be used to fight HIV/AIDS.
Along with the grants awarded in April 2002, the second round grants commit Global Fund to distribute up to $1.5 billion in 2003 and 2004. Based on performance, the grant recipients are eligible for up to $2.2 billion more after 2004.
