Though the public interest organisations are mounting pressure on the government to pass the long-pending HIV/AIDS Bill, it is unlikely to come up before Parliament at least during the forthcoming monsoon session slated to begin from August 5.
The bill, pending since 2006, is still stuck between the Health Ministry and the Law Ministry without any clear indication of when it will be finally presented in Parliament. According to sources, the revised bill now has been once again sent to the Law Ministry for vetting.
Based on the suggestions from the stakeholders and the ministries, the draft of the Bill was recast and referred to Ministry of Law and Justice in September 2011 and again in December, 2011 for vetting. Thereafter, a note along with the draft of the Bill was prepared which was circulated to various Ministries/ Departments in March, 2012, for their comments. Now, once again the Health Ministry has redrafted the same and sent to the Law Ministry, sources said.
Meanwhile, the public interest organisations have been voicing their concern over the delay in passing the bill and once again took to the streets recently to demand the tabling of the bill during the monsoon session of Parliament
People living with HIV and representatives from civil society organizations led the agitations and pointed out that the bill should be passed at the earliest to give legal redressal against the discrimination in both the public and private sectors. They also wrote letters to the Union Health Minister with this demand.
Sometime back, the Parliamentary panel attached to the Health Ministry had also asked the Ministry to expedite the process to finalise and table the bill. “The Committee expects that the Department could have been more proactive in taking the Bill to its logical conclusion. The Committee, therefore, urges upon the Department to take concrete steps to ensure that the Bill is introduced at the earliest,” the Standing Committee said in its recent report.
The Bill envisaged wholesome coverage of issues relating to persons living with HIV/AIDS addressing issues of stigma and discrimination, care and protection, treatment and ensuring their rights. The Bill protects people living with, and affected by HIV from discrimination in both private and public sectors, bringing the private sector into the ambit for the first time.
The bill, pending since 2006, is still stuck between the Health Ministry and the Law Ministry without any clear indication of when it will be finally presented in Parliament. According to sources, the revised bill now has been once again sent to the Law Ministry for vetting.
Based on the suggestions from the stakeholders and the ministries, the draft of the Bill was recast and referred to Ministry of Law and Justice in September 2011 and again in December, 2011 for vetting. Thereafter, a note along with the draft of the Bill was prepared which was circulated to various Ministries/ Departments in March, 2012, for their comments. Now, once again the Health Ministry has redrafted the same and sent to the Law Ministry, sources said.
Meanwhile, the public interest organisations have been voicing their concern over the delay in passing the bill and once again took to the streets recently to demand the tabling of the bill during the monsoon session of Parliament
People living with HIV and representatives from civil society organizations led the agitations and pointed out that the bill should be passed at the earliest to give legal redressal against the discrimination in both the public and private sectors. They also wrote letters to the Union Health Minister with this demand.
Sometime back, the Parliamentary panel attached to the Health Ministry had also asked the Ministry to expedite the process to finalise and table the bill. “The Committee expects that the Department could have been more proactive in taking the Bill to its logical conclusion. The Committee, therefore, urges upon the Department to take concrete steps to ensure that the Bill is introduced at the earliest,” the Standing Committee said in its recent report.
The Bill envisaged wholesome coverage of issues relating to persons living with HIV/AIDS addressing issues of stigma and discrimination, care and protection, treatment and ensuring their rights. The Bill protects people living with, and affected by HIV from discrimination in both private and public sectors, bringing the private sector into the ambit for the first time.
source:Pharmabiz
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