The Tripura High Court has instructed the Tripura State AIDS Control Society (TSAC) to submit updated statistics on the incidence of HIV/AIDS in the state, including among the youth, by next week. The move is aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of the ongoing control measures and to assess if there has been any improvement in curbing the rise in HIV/AIDS cases.
The division bench, comprising Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice Biswajit Palit, was hearing a suo motu Public Interest Litigation (PIL). The court noted progress in the case, though it was informed that a report could not be filed due to a network error. The court was also updated on the establishment of two new Facility-integrated ART Centres (Fi-ARTC) in Khowai and Gomati districts, as well as a new District Monitoring Unit for Gomati and South districts, approved by the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO).
The court directed TSACS to seek additional budget approval under the Annual Action Plan for the 2025-2026 fiscal year to operationalize these new centres. Further, the court acknowledged the efforts of the TSACS, which has established numerous counseling and testing centres and increased opioid substitution therapy (OST) centres from 5 to 23, with additional ones in the pipeline.
