In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Health Dinesh Trivedi said that the government is already providing free first line treatment to HIV patients since April 2004.
"At present, a total of 335,232 patients are receiving free ART (antiretroviral therapy) at 281 centres as on June 2010," he said.
While 312,451 adults are getting this therapy, about 20,302 children are on ART, he added.
About 78,592 people - 73,394 adults and 5,198 children - are receiving the free drug in Maharashtra - the highest number in the country.
It is followed by Andhra Pradesh where 71, 769 people - 67,976 adults and 3,793 children - are getting the treatment. The others are Karnataka (44,017), Tamil Nadu (44,493), Uttar Pradesh (12,163), Delhi (7,875), Rajasthan (7,464), Manipur (5,754) and Orissa (2,503).
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