KHUJAND, September 10, 2011, Asia-Plus  -- HIV-infected children under the age of 16 living in the northern Sughd province have begun to receive monthly allowance of 280 somoni each, according to the Sughd main directorate for labor and social protection of the population.

“Information about the number of children living with HIV in the province is confidential,” the source said.  He just noted that the HIV-infected children now lived in five cities and districts of the region.

The HIV-infected children receive the allowances through branches of Amonatbonk (Tajikistan’s savings bank).  “The allowances are still allocated from local budgets but the Ministry of Finance is expected to subsidize those five districts, because local budgets do not provide for means for payment of such allowances,” the source added.