As per a recent UN report, in India, the number of new HIV infections has declined by 19 percent between 2005 and 2013, yet the country still tops Asia in having 38 percent of all new HIV infections on the continent. India also recorded a 38 percent decline in AIDS-related deaths during this period.

India has 2.1 million people living with HIV, accounting for 40 percent of those infected in Asia. The country also accounted for 51 percent of AIDS-related deaths in Asia in 2013, and eight percent of deaths worldwide.

The report also mentioned that after sub-Saharan Africa, the largest number of people living with HIV are in Asia and the Pacific. There were an estimated 4.8 million people living with HIV in this region in 2013. China, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam account for more than 90 percent of the people living with HIV in the region.

The United Nations program on HIV/ AIDS, which published the latest numbers said that around 19 million out of the 35 million people infected with HIV across the world are unaware of their HIV positive status.

The Indian government said the UN report shows the steady progress India has been making. "The Department of AIDS Control has been working closely with the Department of Health and Family Welfare toward integration of HIV and AIDS services into the larger health system," a senior Health ministry official said.