New Delhi, June 15
After a student of Jalandhar-based Guru Amar Dass Public School tested positive for swine flu, the government has advised people, especially students, to defer foreign visits till the time swine flu pandemic is controlled the world over.

As many as six confirmed cases of swine flu were reported on Sunday, bringing the total number of H1N1-affected people to 23 in the country. Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today recommended that till the disease was not controlled globally, young people from educational institutions going abroad should suspend their visits. “We are requesting people to temporarily suspend foreign visits till the virus is controlled globally,” Azad said.

“They can go after 2-3 months,” he said, all the while stressing that the deadly influenza was completely under control in India. “Medicine is available in plenty and the most important thing is that this disease is 100 per cent curable,” he said, asserting that there was no reason to panic as out the 23 reported cases, 11 had already been treated and discharged.

“Keeping in view the size and population of the country, there is nothing to worry about,” Azad said.

However, the Health Minister is concerned over the spread of flu to smaller towns in the context of reports of infection from Punjab. On Monday he was informed that the State Health authorities in Punjab had been alerted and separate isolation ward prepared at Government Hospital, Jalandhar, created to treat cases with symptoms of Influenza A (H1N1) virus. Following a review of state of preparedness to tackle the spread of flu virus, Azad asked the Director-General Health Services to rush a rapid response team to Punjab. The DGHS has been asked to make available adequate quantities of Tamiflu to help contain spread of the disease.

The minister’s advisory, especially to students, comes in the light of a student of Jalandhar-based Guru Amar Dass Public School testing positive for swine flu. The student, admitted to a hospital in New Delhi, tested positive for the virus on his return from the US. The students had gone to NASA and came back on June 12.

Bangalore, June 15
An Air France crew member is among four persons who were admitted to Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases (RGICD) in Bangalore today with symptoms of swine flu.

“Their samples have been sent for tests. We are expecting the results to arrive tomorrow,” Dr Shashidhar Buggi, director of the institute, said.

Talking to The Tribune, Buggi said the Air France employee had spent considerable time with mother-daughter duo who tested positive for the infection after arriving here from New Jersey on an Air France flight on June 12.

“The two passengers, tested positive for the virus, had problem with their luggage. The crew member came in contact with them as he had to help them out with their luggage,” Buggi said. He said three others, who admitted to the hospital today with the symptoms of H1N1 flu, were also international passengers.

Buggi said the 29-year-old mother and her three-year-old daughter, tested positive for the flu, were responding to the treatment.

New Delhi, June 15
The Union government is likely to announce a higher support price for rice and cotton this sowing season. While the recommended price for rice is Rs 950-980 per quintal, that for cotton is Rs 3,000 per quintal. According to sources in the agriculture ministry, a decision in this regard may be announced soon.

As per sources, the MSP for the common variety of rice has been advised at Rs 950 per quintal while that for grade ‘A’ (variety) has been recommended at Rs 980 per quintal.

And in cotton category, only two varieties, primarily grown in Maharashtra, are being considered for an MSP hike, the new rate to be Rs 3,000 per quintal. They include ‘Shankar’ and ‘D6’, say sources.

Meanwhile, Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal has called the rice MSP hike as “inadequate”, “unrealistic” and a “cruel joke with the farming community”. Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said he would call on the Prime Minister and demand a minimum of Rs 1,400 per quintal MSP for rice.

New Delhi, June 15
There is no room in the Congress for princes or princesses. All maharajas, maharanis, rajas, rajkumaris, kunwars and begums in the Congress will soon become “aam aadmi” in continuation of the party’s ‘aam aadmi’ agenda during the Lok Sabha elections.

The party has asked its members to shed all feudal appendages that they may be using with their names, formally or informally. The party advise to its members is to strike off monarchical titles like maharaja, raja, begum, kunwar, rajkumar, shrimant riding with  their names with imme- diate effect.

All such feudal titles are being erased from party’s records. Congress general secretary Janardhan Dwivedi said: “All feudal titles have been removed from the party’s records.”

Apparently the directive, asking party men and women to drop their royal appendages belonging to yesteryears, has come straight from Congress president Sonia Gandhi. While the immediate provocation for the advisory is not known, it is an indirect suggestion to all party members to take heed and drop the use of such feudal appendages informally as well.

It is no secret that some members of the erstwhile royal families prefer to be addressed by their royal titles. Many of the heads of the former royal households continue to use their titles in their official correspondence and while addressing one another. An official note sent recently from the office of Minister of State of External Affairs Preneet Kaur referred to the Congress MP from Patiala as “maharani sahiba”. Her husband, former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, likes to be addressed as “maharaja”.

Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh is called “raja sahib” and former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh is “raja Virbhadra Singh”. Then there is Rani Ratna Singh, raja of Amethi Sanjay Singh, Kunwar Arjun Singh, Kunwar RPN Singh, Jyotiraditya Scindhia and other scions of erstwhile princely states, who are still called by their feudal titles even after being elected to the Lok Sabha.

As per Article 363 A of the Constitution, the powers and titles of the rulers of the native states have been discontinued along with the Privy Purse in the 26th Amendment.

Patna, June 15
Assuring the people of Bihar to stand by them during any crisis, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda announced an additional donation of Rs 5 crore from his relief fund for the rehabilitation of flood-ravaged people of Kosi belt.

Hooda was here to inaugurate the rehabilitation projects undertaken by his Sonepat district administration in one of the worst flood-affected villages, Shahpur-Musahri under Sonbarsa block of Saharasa district.

He along with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar jointly inaugurated the schemes which included around 200 houses with potable water facilities, a community hall, roads and solar lights besides public toilets in the village. The Sonepat district administration has virtually adopted this village.

Acknowledging the contributions of Biharis in the development and prosperity of Haryana, Hooda said Haryana always had very cordial relations with Bihar and it would continue to help Bihar in the hour of crisis

Hooda was all praise for the government of Bihar for undertaking the massive rescue and relief operations at the time of Kosi deluge that had affected five districts having a population of around 33 lakh. Around 200 persons and thousands of cattle heads were perished in the floods last year. He also showered praises on Nitish Kumar and said ‘the work being done by Nitish Kumar ji is being acclaimed across the country’.

On his part, Nitish Kumar expressed gratitude to the government of Haryana and its people for extending their help to the flood victims of Bihar. Nitish also praised the Sonepat district administration for adopting one of the flood-ravaged villages. Later, Nitish hosted a banquet lunch at his official residence in the honour of Hooda and his team of officers.

Bhopal, June 15
Senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj has described the situation in her party after the Lok Sabha polls as "volcanic" and said that it would not be wise to say anything about it.

Sushma, who arrived here yesterday on a four-day visit to her parliamentary constituency Vidisha, told reporters last evening that the situation in the BJP right now was volcanic and even a small spark can flare it.

She said in her view there was nothing wrong in senior BJP leader LK Advani continuing as Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha as he would have become the Prime Minister if the NDA had won the LS elections.

Answering a question, she said it was wrong to say that she would eventually succeed Advani as the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. The senior BJP leader said that her role as BJP election in-charge for Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand had come to an end and now she was only the MP from Vidisha.

Sushma said that she has already made it clear a number of times that she had no intention of interfering in the affairs of the BJP in Madhya Pradesh. — PTI

Lucknow, June 15
An Uttar Pradesh woman has alleged that a minister in the Mayawati government had stolen her newborn son from a hospital six years ago.

Pramila Sharma of Deoria district was here on Monday for a DNA test to substantiate her claim that the six-year-old son of Religious Endowment Minister Rajesh Tripathi was actually hers.

Parmila's husband Ashok Sharma said in 2004 his wife gave birth to a baby boy in the Gorakhpur medical college. Tripathi's sister, who was her friend, had come to visit her in the hospital.

"Tripathi's sister visited us in the hospital when the boy was born and on the third day the boy was stolen from the ward. We searched for about 15 days and one day we saw Tripathi's sister carrying the child," Ashok Sharma told reporters here.

He said the family approached Tripathi, who was a journalist then, to return the child but he didn't. "We lodged an FIR against him," he said. The matter was later taken to a court where Pramila insisted that she was ready for a DNA test at her own expenses.

"We have come here after the court's order and are waiting for the minister to arrive since the morning," Sharma said. He alleged that Tripathi offered him money to give up the claim of the child. — IANS 

BRIEFLY

Budget on July 6 
NEW DELHI: The Union government on Monday decided to commence the Budget session of the Parliament from July 2 with the General Budget to be presented on July 6. The Railway Budget would be presented on July 3. — TNS

Ragging call centre misses deadline
NEW DELHI: The proposed national call centre to enable victims of ragging from across the country to dial a toll free number to register complaints has missed the deadline. The call centre was supposed to be functional on Monday. Education Consultancy India (EdCIL) was entrusted with the job of setting up of the national call centre while UGC was supposed to monitor the helpline. The helpline will have a software which will pass on the message to heads of the educational institutions within 15 minutes of the complaint, so as to help the administration to swing into action for rescue of the victim students. — PTI

Tribal protesters torch three police camps
MIDNAPORE (WB): Protesting against alleged police harassment, tribals on Monday torched three police camps and virtually took control of Lalgarh area in West Midnapur district after the forces withdrew apprehending violence by protesters who also forced a CRPF contingent to retreat. The police camps at Belatkri and Dharampur and the Ramgarh outpost in Lalgarh were wound up by the police, where the tribals have been enforcing a "boycott"" against them, the police said. The camps, in ‘pucca’ buildings, were ransacked before being torched by the tribals in the district that has witnessed frequent clashes between adivasis and CPM activists, officials sources said. — PTI

Dalit teen dies after hospital denies entry
LUCKNOW: A Dalit teenager in Uttar Pradesh died on Monday after a government-run hospital allegedly refused to admit him, the police said. “Anil Kumar, (18), who had suffered burn injuries after being electrocuted, was reportedly denied treatment by doctors in a hospital in Hamirpur district on Monday,” Superintendent of Police Suryanath told IANS over the phone. The kin of the deceased alleged that the doctors asked them to take away Kumar, as the hospital was not meant for treating “lower caste patients”, he added. A high-level enquiry has been initiated into the case to probe the role of doctors who have been accused of denying the treatment. — IANS

Kasab breaks down
Mumbai: The lone terrorist held in the 26/11 attacks, Ajmal Kasab, was seen weeping after photographs showing him firing at people at the CST railway station last year were produced before the court on Monday. As his photographs were taken on record by the court, Kasab sounded low. In the post-lunch session, when the witness was being cross examined, tears rolled down Kasab’s cheeks. — PTI

Relief for Kosi victims
Patna: Assuring the people of Bihar to stand by them during any crisis, Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda announced an additional donation of Rs 5 crore from his relief fund for the rehabilitation of flood-ravaged people of Kosi belt. Hooda was here to inaugurate the rehabilitation projects undertaken by Sonepat district administration in one of the worst flood-affected villages, Shahpur-Musahri under Sonbarsa block of Saharasa district. — TNS