Civic body all set to give ₹1K pension to HIV-positive women after husband’s death

Women with HIV, whose husbands have died of the disease, will now receive a monthly pension of₹1,000 from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to cover their

Women with HIV, whose husbands have died of the disease, will now receive a monthly pension of₹1,000 from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to cover their basic nutritional needs.

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The scheme is expected to benefit around 4,000 women in the city. Under the first phase of the scheme, 187 widows registered with Mumbai District AIDS Control Society (MDACS) were identified for the monetary benefit.

“We are taking the data of registered widows from our antiretroviral therapy (ART) centres. A committee has been formed comprising experts from NGOs and the MDACS, which will check all required documents and medical reports. Once it is approved, the women need to submit their identity proofs and bank account details. We will then enlist them as beneficiaries and credit the amount,” said Dr Srikala Acharya, in-charge of MDACS.

Data obtained by citizens’ group Praja Foundation, through a right-to-information (RTI) query, revealed that from April 2016 to March 2019, around 5,000 HIV-AIDS patients died in the city.

“We have started this scheme as HIV-infected patients are stigmatised and struggle to find employment. We are trying to provide basic financial support to the widows who are also infected,” said Dr Padmaja Keskar, executive health officer, BMC. Officials admitted that the amount was meagre. “This is the same amount that is given to patients under other health schemes of the government. The primary focus of it is to cover the nutrition part of the patients,” said Dr Acharya.