Guwahati: With 60 high-priority districts in the Northeast under the scanner, India has set an ambitious target to achieve HIV control by 1 December 2027, coinciding with World AIDS Day, under the banner of Mission AIDS Suraksha.
The announcement was made by Dr Rakesh Gupta, Additional Secretary and Director General of the National AIDS Control Organisation under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, at the inaugural session of a three-day regional review meeting in Guwahati on Tuesday.
Northeast Remains Central to National HIV Response
The Guwahati workshop marks the launch of the first among 11 regional Suraksha Sankalp Karyashalas being held across India during February–March 2026. These workshops aim to fast-track progress in 219 high-priority districts nationwide, of which 60 are located in the seven Northeastern states, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura (excluding Sikkim).
Dr Gupta said the concentration of high-priority districts in the region underscores the Northeast’s critical role in India’s HIV response. “The Northeastern states remain a priority due to their unique epidemiological patterns and vulnerabilities. Context-specific interventions and stronger district-level planning are essential,” he noted.
Assam and Arunachal Among Key Focus Areas
In Assam alone, districts such as Cachar, Dibrugarh, Kamrup Metro, Nagaon, Nalbari, and Sivasagar have been identified as high priority. In Arunachal Pradesh, East Siang, Lower Dibang Valley, Namsai, Papum Pare, and Tirap are among those under review. At the same time, Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills, East Khasi Hills, Ri Bhoi, and West Jaintia Hills are also part of the intensified monitoring framework.
The meeting is reviewing implementation under the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP), focusing on micro-level performance indicators, identifying service delivery gaps, and preparing district-specific corrective action plans.
Target: 95-95-99 and ‘Surakshit Plus’ Status*
A central goal of Mission AIDS Suraksha is achieving the global 95-95-99 targets — ensuring that:
- 95% of people living with HIV know their status,
- 95% of those diagnosed receive sustained antiretroviral therapy (ART), and
- 99% of those on treatment achieve viral suppression.
District representatives are expected to draft actionable strategies during the workshop to move towards “Surakshit Plus” status by meeting these benchmarks.
Region-Specific Challenges
The Northeast has historically reported higher HIV prevalence in certain pockets compared to the national average, influenced by factors such as cross-border mobility, difficult terrain, stigma, and limited access to healthcare in remote areas. Officials emphasised that strengthening inter-departmental coordination, expanding testing and ART coverage, and enhancing community outreach will be key to accelerating progress.
Senior officials, including Project Directors of State AIDS Control Societies from all seven Northeastern states, are participating in the review, which is being conducted in three batches to allow state-specific deliberations.
The deliberations in Guwahati are expected to culminate in tailored roadmaps aligned with each state’s epidemiological profile, reinforcing India’s commitment to ending AIDS as a public health threat in the Northeast by 2027.