National AIDS Control Programme

✦Key Features

• Prevention services for high-risk groups and vulnerable populations.
• Comprehensive HIV testing and counselling services (ICTC).
• Provision of free Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) through dedicated centers.
• Prevention of Parent-to-Child Transmission (PPTCT) of HIV.
• Blood safety measures and surveillance.
• Community-led initiatives and social protection for PLHIV.

✓Eligibility Criteria

• All individuals seeking HIV testing and counseling services.
• Individuals diagnosed with HIV for Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) and related care.
• Pregnant women for PPTCT services.
• High-risk groups for targeted intervention and prevention services.

★Benefits

• Access to free and confidential HIV testing and counseling.
• Free Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) for all eligible PLHIV.
• Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
• Access to condoms and other prevention commodities.
• Support services and referrals for nutrition, psycho-social support, and opportunistic infection management.

▶Application Process

• Individuals can visit Integrated Counselling and Testing Centres (ICTCs) located in government hospitals for free and confidential HIV testing.
• Upon diagnosis, individuals are referred to Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) centers for further evaluation and treatment initiation.
• Pregnant women can access PPTCT services at antenatal clinics.
• High-risk groups can access targeted intervention services through outreach workers and community-based organizations.

₹ Budget Allocation

2732

Funding Ratio (Centre:State): 100% Central Sector Scheme for core interventions

Historical Context

Launched in 1992 (Phase I) in response to the first HIV case in India (1986). It has evolved through five phases, shifting from awareness to massive ART scale-up.