KOLKATA: Tamil Nadu was a shining example as to how AIDS prevalence could be controlled through a combination of political leadership and administrative actions.

The State, which led three others - Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka in AIDS prevalence — has started showing a decline for the first time conceding its former leading position, after nearly 15 years of effort, Union Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh said here on Sunday.

He urged the tea industry and also the Tea Board chairman to devise a programme for controlling the disease, now spreading in the tea gardens of North Bengal.

A survey found 15 HIV-affected tea garden workers in 25 tea estates in Jalpaiguri district in North Bengal.

High risk zone

"Given its geographical location, this was a high risk zone and the problem needs to be tackled fast, since improving the health of the 1.2 million tea workers, who were also stakeholders, was important in India's efforts to recapture its share in the international market ", Mr. Ramesh said.

The Minister was here to inaugurate a meeting on corporate social responsibility relating to HIV/AIDS in tea plantations organised by the Institute for Plantation Agricultural and Rural Workers an NGO. Admitting that this meeting was an unusual one, he said that addressing worker issues was as important as tackling marketing and production challenges facing the tea industry.

Starvation deaths

To a question on starvation deaths in tea gardens, the Minister said the Centre was now considering a rehabilitation and revival proposal for the closed tea gardens. About 35,000 families were affected due to closures. Of the 39 gardens, 20 gardens involving 11,000 workers were in Kerala followed by 17 in West Bengal where 15,000 workers were affected. There were only two closed gardens in Assam. Mr. Ramesh said the revival model of Kanan Devan Hill Plantations in Kerala seemed to be a good one.

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