Imphal, Nov 6 (IANS) Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh on Friday felicitated Imphal West and Pherzawl districts for achieving ‘Surakshit’ (safe) status in October 2026 under the Mobilisation for AIDS Suraksha (MAS) initiative of the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO).
The felicitation ceremony, titled ‘Sammaan Samaaroh’, was organised by the Manipur State AIDS Control Society (MACS) at the Cabinet Hall of the Chief Minister’s Office, Mantripukhri. Addressing the gathering, Chief Minister Khemchand Singh congratulated the two districts for attaining the ‘Surakshit’ status and urged officials of the Health Department to make concerted efforts to achieve the same milestone in the remaining districts of the state.
He stressed the importance of collective efforts in strengthening the State’s response to HIV/AIDS and ensuring that more districts achieve the prescribed targets under the national initiative. Commissioner (Health and Family Welfare) and President of the Manipur State AIDS Control Society (MACS), Sumant Singh, stated that, for the first time in the history of MACS, the Society had succeeded in achieving the target of attaining ‘Surakshit’ status in certain districts of the State.
Explaining the significance of the achievement, he said that ‘Surakshit’ status indicates that 95 per cent of the estimated number of people living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in a district are aware of their HIV status; 95 per cent of those who know their status are receiving Antiretroviral Therapy (ART); and 95 per cent of those undergoing ART have achieved viral suppression.
He further explained that viral suppression indicates that the virus is effectively controlled among people who have achieved this stage, marking significant progress in HIV treatment and management.
During the programme, the Chief Minister felicitated representatives of the Imphal West District and Pherzawl District administrations, Chief Medical Officers (CMOs), and the District Integrated Strategy for HIV teams in recognition of their contributions towards achieving the milestone.
A presentation was also made during the programme, highlighting the journey and efforts undertaken by Imphal West and Pherzawl districts towards achieving ‘Surakshit’ status under the 95-95-95 targets.
The programme was attended by Chief Secretary Rajeev Singh Thakur; Project Director, MACS, Anna Arambam; Deputy Commissioner of Imphal West, Mayanglambam Rajkumar Singh; and Deputy Commissioner of Pherzawl, Anunay Anand, who joined the programme virtually, among others.
–IANS
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