Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh

PM's speech at Media Leaders Summit on HIV/AIDS

"I am happy to associate myself with the Indian Media Leaders Summit on HIV/AIDS. I believe this meeting is a sequel to the Global Media Initiative hosted by the United Nations Secretary General, Mr. Kofi Annan in January 2004 in New York.� It is an important milestone in our fight against the AIDS pandemic. The world has come to recognise this as a global threat to humanity. However, like so many other such threats that mankind has battled, I am confident that we shall overcome this one too but it will require massive efforts on the part of Government, media and all actors in civil society.

In this campaign the media plays an important and determining role in educating the public, creating awareness among them and transmitting crucial information so that people become aware, remain alert and take measures to prevent its occurrence. We all know that information is power, and that awareness therefore empowers. We are meeting here today to help ensure that AIDS awareness becomes an integral part of mainstream media and that it is able to reach out to the people through its tremendous creative and communicating power.�

Many decades ago Mahatma Gandhi started publishing the Indian Opinion, a fortnightly newspaper, to educate people about the rules of health and hygiene so that they could follow them and keep themselves free from disease.� It is interesting and instructive to recall Mahatma Gandhi's thoughts as written in the Indian Opinion when Plague occurred in Johannesburg in 1905. Posing the question, 'What is the duty of Press on such occasions?' Gandhiji wrote that media has the crucial responsibility to report incidents of Plague as fast as possible, inform people to prepare themselves to face the situation, focus attention on the factors behind the appearance of disease, critically comment on lapses which might have contributed to the emergence and spread of Plague and educate people on the issue of maintaining their surroundings clean so that the disease could be prevented.�

I believe that in organizing this Media Summit on HIV/AIDS, you are all deriving inspiration from this Gandhian approach. I am glad that the Ministries of Information & Broadcasting and Health & Family Welfare have teamed up with Non-Governmental Organisations like the Richard Gere Foundation to organize this Media Leaders' Summit.��

Last November, I had the opportunity to join hundreds of young people from across the country when they gathered in this city to organize a Students and Youth Parliament on HIV/AIDS. The manner of their coming together had confirmed to me that India's democratic institutions provide the best means to fight the worst threats we face. I expressed the hope that the young women and men gathered there would prove to be energetic and vibrant partners in stopping the transmission of HIV and ameliorating the situation of those living with this dreaded disease.

From one reported HIV case in 1986, the number of HIV positive people in India has already crossed the five million mark. HIV/AIDS is no longer just a public health issue, as my colleague the Health Minister mentioned just a moment ago, it has become a serious socio-economic and developmental concern. If not checked, it can hurt our ambitions in economic growth and development very severely. Though HIV/AIDS can affect everyone, it is often the poor, youth and women in distress who are most vulnerable. We have no choice but to act, and act with firmness, with urgency and with utmost seriousness.

I assure you, our Government is committed to substantially strengthening the national AIDS control efforts. This is an important commitment of the National Common Minimum Programme. As you are aware the Congress President, Smt Sonia Gandhi, continues to take great personal interest in AIDS awareness and had gone to Bangkok last year to participate in the Global Summit on HIV/ AIDS. Different Ministries of our Government have joined hands to evolve a National Action Plan for spreading awareness and improving access to services related to HIV/AIDS. However, these efforts will require more and more partners and more and more active participants from all sections of the society to create a massive and truly people's movement. To push this effort forward we constituted the National Council on AIDS and I myself head this Council so that the combined attention of the Government as a whole is given to our campaign against AIDS.

����������� While focusing attention on research for finding a vaccine for this pandemic, we must leave no stone unturned in preventing its occurrence by using media in an intelligent and creative manner.� In the absence of a vaccine, the social vaccine of education and awareness is the only preventive tool we have.� It is appropriately said that prevention begins with information.� Media, which conveys information and moulds public opinion, must remain at the heart of our campaign to help people make informed choices.�

Countries such as Thailand that have recorded declining trends of HIV/AIDS infection have shown us that this pandemic beats a retreat in the face of determined leadership, massive efforts in generating awareness among people, and empowering people with information to combat it effectively.� Visibility in the media, and informed and sympathetic visibility at that, is a first step towards creating greater awareness. Leaders of media, in alliance with other segments of our polity and society, can play a significant role in educating public opinion.� All of you are aware that there are many misconceptions about AIDS that need to be dispelled. Half information is often more dangerous than no information. I urge you to invest in educating your own staff so that they are able to purvey correct information to the public at large.

����������� I would like to conclude by repeating the three messages I had given to the Youth Parliament in November.

��������� First, Lead by example and lead from the front. Your behaviour needs to change first, before you seek behavioural changes in others.

��������� Second, inform your friends and empower them, so that they can make safe choices and correct behaviour.

��������� Third, promise to uphold the dignity of every Indian living with HIV in our country by love, affection, care and social support.

����������� I would like to urge you to transmit your messages in all Indian languages so that they reach the widest cross section of our society. While as a public service broadcaster, Doordarshan has a special role to play, I do believe that all media should be pro-active. I am encouraged by the presence here of many important private sector media organizations. I commend you for your interest and commitment.

����������� Finally, I must compliment Mr Richard Gere for his personal commitment to this cause. Public personalities like him can play an important role in promoting public awareness and they deserve our appreciation and support. Our Government is committed to helping civil society organizations in all such efforts. I extend my greetings and good wishes for the success of the noble venture that you are engaged in."

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