ABSTRACT
The HIV epidemic is symbiotically related to poverty and development, impacting individuals, families and communities, economically, socially, psychologically and politically. The social determinants that perpetuate and sustain the epidemic cannot be ignored. At the same time, tremendous medical progress has been made with the discovery and manufacture of antiretroviral therapy (ART). The inclusion of free ART in the Indian national programme has radically transformed the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS. On the other hand, the large scale prevention programmes have expanded their reach to the most at-risk sections of the population.
