Shillong, Feb 25: Meghalaya is participating in a regional review meeting to strengthen district-level planning and implementation strategies to fast-track the achievement of HIV control targets.
The three-day meeting on the implementation of the National AIDS and STI Control Programme (NACP) in Guwahati is being held under Mission AIDS Suraksha, as India aims to attain HIV control by December 1, 2027 coinciding with World AIDS Day.
The state is focussing on accelerating progress in its identified high-priority districts—East Jaintia Hills, East Khasi Hills, Ri Bhoi and West Jaintia Hills.
Additional Secretary & Director General, National AIDS Control Organisation Dr. Rakesh Gupta emphasised that the Northeastern states remain a priority in the national HIV response, with 60 of the 219 high-priority districts located in the region (excluding Sikkim).
He noted that the Guwahati workshop marks the beginning of an intensive, region-focused review and action-planning exercise aimed at accelerating progress in high-priority districts across the Northeast.
As part of intensified national efforts, 11 regional workshops titled, ‘Suraksha Sankalp Karyashala’ are being organised across the country during February–March 2026, covering all 219 high-priority districts.
The workshop marks the first in the series and covers 60 identified high-priority districts from the seven Northeastern States – Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura.
The meeting is undertaking a comprehensive review of NACP implementation across the region, with a particular focus on strengthening district-level ownership, assessing micro-level performance indicators, identifying implementation gaps, and developing corrective action plans aligned with local epidemiological trends.
During the three-day meeting, representatives from various districts are deliberating on tailored strategies to enable their districts to achieve ‘Surakshit Plus’ status by meeting the global 95-95-99 targets. These targets ensure that 95 per cent of all people living with HIV know their HIV status, 95 per cent of those diagnosed receive sustained antiretroviral therapy (ART), and 99 per cent of those on treatment achieve viral suppression.
Senior officials, including Project Directors of the State AIDS Control Societies and programme leaders from across the region, are participating in the review, which is being conducted in three batches to enable focused, state-specific deliberations.
