The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's India AIDS initiative, Avahan, on Wednesday launched a $25 million effort to stem the spread of HIV/AIDS in Andhra Pradesh.

The initiative will provide grants to four partners -- the Hindustan Latex Family Planning Promotion Trust, the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, the Transport Corporation of India Foundation and Population Services International -- to provide HIV prevention services to groups at high risk of infection.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu launched the initiative in the presence of Ashok Alexander, director, Avahan, Meenakshi Datta, project director, NACO, and others.

The initiative is part of a broader national HIV prevention package totalling $ 67.50 million announced by Avahan in October this year.

Alexander said the four grantees would provide HIV awareness and education, behaviour change communication, condom social marketing, and improved diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections.

Activities would cover 20 of the 23 districts of the state, as well as national highways.

Funding for the effort would double annual spending on HIV prevention in Andhra Pradesh from $5 million.