India has 3.5 million people infected with the AIDS-causing HIV, according to an official estimates released on November 9 by the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO).

The estimates, based on new calculations and recognized by international experts, will help the government plan programs and policies to arrest the rising HIV infections and provide care and support to the affected.

The estimates are based on data collected in October 1998 from 180 HIV sentinel surveillance sites set up mostly in medical colleges across the country.