The government told the Supreme Court Tuesday that it would offer jobs under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. The act is essentially aimed at guaranteeing unskilled manual jobs for one hundreds in a year for rural households.

Though wages are paltry, still the scheme is hailed as some positive attempt at bettering the lot of the rural poor. Now the government is saying it would extend the scheme to HIV/AIDS-infected too.

Also one lakh people receiving anti-retroviral therapy (ART) at 174 centres across the country, would be treated as belonging to the below poverty line (BPL) category, ensuring them 35 kg of foodgrain every month under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY).

These promises were part of the 19-point proposal submitted to the Supreme Court on Tuesday, by way of affirming the government’s commitment to bettering the lives of HIV positive people.

Additional solicitor general Gopal Subramaniam also told the court the number of ART centres — providing free treatment and run under National AIDS Control Organisation (Naco) — would be increased from 174 to 650 by 2010.

Providing second line treatment for HIV positive people was in the pilot stage and would soon be made available to the needy.

All doctors and nurses in the public and private sector would be directed to immediately familiarise themselves and comply with the protocols and policies prepared by NACO, which would be made part of the teaching curriculum, Subramaniam said.