The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has been a saviour for 3,006 widows of HIV patients, by providing monetary assistance to them, since 2019. While the assistance of Rs 1,000 per month is not enough, it helps them get by, and did so, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The idea for a pension for such widows was put forth by the Mumbai District AIDS Control Society MDACS.

Some of these widows spoke to mid-day of how the BMC’s financial assistance helped their families survive. “I was the sole earner in my family. During the pandemic, I lost my job and the pension (the Rs 1,000) given by BMC was the only source of income on which our family survived,”  said a woman who lost her husband to HIV.