New Delhi : Captains of the Indian industry have geared up to combat HIV/AIDS by implementing proper corporate governance.

Corporate conglomerates such as Ballarpur Industries, ACC Cements and Godrej have joined hands to fight against the disease under the aegis of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), a leading industry body that has been spearheading the cause with its AIDS awareness campaign.

"AIDS is already a national crisis and we had in place an 'AIDS in the workplace' initiative. However, for a long time, we had been planning different HIV/AIDS initiatives to have a larger impact," Gautam Thapar, Ballarpur Industries' chairman, said at a conference here Friday.

According to Arvind Pathak, business head (south-west) of ACC, the firm has built its own AIDS awareness centre.

The CII, in partnership with the National Aids Control Organisation (NACO), has also developed a smart health card.

According to the CII, India Inc is now much more aware about the disease and its social consequences.