NEW DELHI: The HIV AIDS (prevention and control) Act 2017 was implementated September 10 onwards, announced the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday.Rajya Sabha passed the bill in March that criminalises discrimination against patients suffering Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), a condition caused by Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) , which attacks and weakens the body’s immune system. Here is all you need to know about the act:* The bill is a milestone because it empowers a person living with HIV to report discrimination meted out against them in fields of employment, health care services, educational services, public facilities, property rights, holding public office, and insurance.* The Act penalises "propagation of hatred" against the protected person where a violator could be punished with a minimum jail term of three months to a maximum of two years and can be fined up to one lakh rupees.* The Act makes Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ART) a legal right for all HIV/AIDS patients. It has also adopted "test and treat" policy which means any person testing positive will be entitled for free treatment by the state and central government. Earlier, this was restricted by a CD4 count rate.* It also provides for confidentiality of HIV-related information and makes it necessary to get informed consent for undertaking HIV tests, medical treatment and research.* The law makes it mandatory for state governments to appoint an Ombudsman to inquire into complaints related to the violation of the Act and the provision of health care services.* If a person or an institution fails to comply with any order given by the Ombudsman within the stipulated period of time, they could be fined a maximum of Rs 10,000. A continuous failure could lead to an additional fine of up to Rs 5000 every day until the they comply.* The new legislation has provisions to safeguard the property rights of HIV positive people. Every HIV infected person below the age of 18 years has the right to reside in a shared household and enjoy the facilities of the household.* The Bill was initially introduced in Parliament by the UPA government, the amendments to the HIV and AIDS (Prevention and Control) Bill, 2014 were revived by the Narendra Modi government in July last year.* The total number of people living with HIV in India is estimated at 21.17 lakhs, whereas around 86000 new HIV infections were reported in 2015, showing 66% decline in new infections from 2000. In 2015 around 68000 people died of AIDS-related causes nationally.