India's top business school graduates, including those from IIMs, will now help the Union health ministry devise strategies to popularise condom use in the country.
In a first of its kind decision, the ministry's National Aids Control Organisation (Naco) has decided to create a special Technical Resource Group (TRG) comprising management graduates specialising in finance and marketing from B-schools and consulting firms, to help the ministry identify new avenues of popularising the condom.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has agreed to fund the setting up and functioning of the TRG.
At present, 1.3 billion condoms are used in India every year. The ministry plans to increase it to three billion by 2007-end.
There are six lakh outlets supplying free condoms in the country, which Naco plans to increase to 30 lakh by next year. The total budget for this is Rs 300 crore.
Speaking to TOI, Naco DG K Sujatha Rao, attending the 16th International AIDS Conference here, said, "The decision to set up a TRG is part of India's massive plan for condom promotion. The team will have the best brains coming out of top Indian business schools. They will not work out of the health ministry but will be housed at the Hindustan Latex's social marketing office."
Ashok Alexander, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's chief in India, confirmed, "The money for TRG will be the first expenditure from the $26 million additional grant we announced for India on August 15 at Toronto. Till now, the foundation has given over $200 million."
The team would consist of experts on marketing development, finance and communication.
In a first of its kind decision, the ministry's National Aids Control Organisation (Naco) has decided to create a special Technical Resource Group (TRG) comprising management graduates specialising in finance and marketing from B-schools and consulting firms, to help the ministry identify new avenues of popularising the condom.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has agreed to fund the setting up and functioning of the TRG.
At present, 1.3 billion condoms are used in India every year. The ministry plans to increase it to three billion by 2007-end.
There are six lakh outlets supplying free condoms in the country, which Naco plans to increase to 30 lakh by next year. The total budget for this is Rs 300 crore.
Speaking to TOI, Naco DG K Sujatha Rao, attending the 16th International AIDS Conference here, said, "The decision to set up a TRG is part of India's massive plan for condom promotion. The team will have the best brains coming out of top Indian business schools. They will not work out of the health ministry but will be housed at the Hindustan Latex's social marketing office."
Ashok Alexander, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's chief in India, confirmed, "The money for TRG will be the first expenditure from the $26 million additional grant we announced for India on August 15 at Toronto. Till now, the foundation has given over $200 million."
The team would consist of experts on marketing development, finance and communication.