India has one of the largest populations of people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the world, though prevalence is relatively low. The HIV/AIDS response began in the late 1980s and evolved into a structured national program. This article is an attempt to analyse the HIV/ AIDS journey in India since its first emergences 50 years ago. The description here is also an effort to trace the Government of India’s response to prevent and control the spread of HIV/AIDS over the last five decades in a country with diverse, vast population spread over the large expanse of our country. The HIV/AIDS policy in India has played a crucial role in fighting to prevent and control this epidemic by creating awareness, preventing it’s spread, providing access to its testing & treatment, across the lengths and breaths of our extensive country.
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