Chhattisgarh transgender appointed advocacy officer for three states and a UT

RAIPUR: A transgender from Chhattisgarh, Amruta Alpesh Soni, has appointed as the advocacy officer for the states of Punjab, Haryana and Chhattisgarh and the Union Territory of Chandigarh for the National AIDS Control Programme's project, Vihaan, which aims at providing care and support to HIV patients.
Soni, who hails from Kolhapur, has been working as advocacy officer for the Vihaan project in Chhattisgarh since 2013.Soni, a MBA graduate, had also recently participated in the Annual Philadelphia Trans Health Conference at the Pennsylvania Convention Centre, USA.
Talking to TOI, programme manager of Vihaan, Neeraj, said Soni is perhaps the most suitable candidate for this job, as she herself is a HIV patient and has first hand knowledge of the issues related to the high risk group (HRG). In addition she has the communication skills to bridge the gap between those involved in the project and the HRG members.
Stating that Soni's convincing powers are unmatchable, Neeraj said she has been doing great work in Chhattisgarh and that's the reason why more responsibilities have been given to her.
Talking of her job profile, Neeraj said advocacy is a continuous process, which requires persistence and involves creating awareness among HIV positive patients about their social rights and welfare schemes and also various treatments available for them.
When contacted, Soni, said she was extremely elated about her new assignment. "I am happy that I will fight for rights of many people including children of other states too," she said adding that her efforts in Chhattisgarh had yielded free travel for HIV patients in the state. "I would strive to get similar benefits for them in other states too."
According to Vihaan website, the project of the Department of AIDS Control runs on support from a Global Fund, and is presently operational in 31 states and territories and will reach more than one million PLHIV by 2016.