Thiruvananthapuram:
On the eve of the World AIDS Day Dec 1, the Kerala government on Wednesday announced a monthly pension of Rs.520 for all those infected with HIV-AIDS.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told reporters that this was the first such scheme being implemented in the state.
"A monthly sum of Rs.400 would be given to each HIV-AIDS patient and in the case of the death of the patient it would be given to the immediate family member. Since these patients require frequent visits to hospitals for treatment, they would be given an extra Rs.120 for meeting their monthly travel expenses," said Chandy.
According to the Kerala State Aids Control Society (KSACS), there are 55,167 HIV-AIDS infected people in the state.
The Palakkad district has the highest number of people with HIV, followed by Thrissur.