India-US December dialogue to boost commerce: Prabhu
Mumbai, Sep 21 : Stressing the critical importance of the United States as a strategic trade partner for India, Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu said on Friday a vital India-US Strategic Commercial dialogue will be held in New Delhi in December which will help boost commercial ties between the two nations.
"The US Commerce Secretary and a high-level delegation from the US will come to have detailed discussions with their Indian counterparts to strengthen the commerce tie-up and chart the future agenda for both nations," Prabhu said.
He was speaking at the inauguration of the annual convention of Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (IACC), here on the theme "Indo-US Economic Relations: Building a Durable Partnership".
Prabhu said India has identified key industries and sector where it can work in tandem with the US and utilise their high-end technology.
In this connection, he said the government will unveil the new industrial policy soon.
"A key thrust in the proposed policy, which will replace the Industrial Policy of 1991, is to reduce regulatory hurdles and encourage adoption of technologies of future such as robotics and artificial intelligence," Prabhu added.
Referring to the US sanctions on steel and aluminium importing countries, he said India responded in a measured way by not levying any retaliatory duties and instead had positive discussions with the US counterparts on the issue.
He stressed the role of organisations like IACC which play a vital role in boosting trade and commerce ties between the two countries.
Addressing the gathering, US Ambassador to India Kenneth I. Juster said India could seize the strategic opportunity, through trade and investment, to become an alternative hub for the US business in the US-Pacific region.
Juster stressed that further opening India's market to US trade and investment would spur the collaboration between the two countries on many emerging technologies that will drive and protect our economies, including those related to advanced manufacturing, cyber security and artificial intelligence.
Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister of State for Corporate Affairs, Law & Justice P.P. Chaudhary said cooperation in the field of science and technology between the scientific communities of both countries is a pillar of vibrant India-US relationship.
"American cooperation in this field will catalyse India's start-up ecosystem. This area is also the key driver for innovation and job creation in both the countries and hence, it needs to take the centre stage", he said.
The Minister added that collaboration in information technology, nano-and gene-editing technology will have positive impact on the education sector and the knowledge generated through mutual cooperation needs to be capitalised to fuel innovation and to create entrepreneurial class.
Expressing that both India and the US are fully committed to clean energy, Chaudhary said India looks forward to full implementation of the civil nuclear energy partnership and collaboration between the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd and Westinghouse Electric Company for setting up six nuclear power plants in India.
Once operational, these nuclear power plants would go a long way in resolving the country's energy woes and help conserve the environment.
Now celebrating its golden jubilee, the IACC meet was attended by its President Vasant Subramanyan, US Consul-General in Mumbai Edgard D. Kagan, IACC Executive Vice President Lalit Bhasin, and IACC officials Nanik Rupani, Rajyalakshmi Rao and Madhulika Gupta.
The IACC, founded in 1968, has 12 branches in India with 2,400 members working towards the objective of promoting business, trade and economic ties between the two countries by facilitating collaborations, joint ventures, marketing tie-ups, strategic alliances and other initiatives.
Besides Mumbaithe , IACC operates from 12 locations including Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Kochi, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune, Varanasi and Patna.
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4 children test HIV positive in MP govt hospital; contaminated blood transfusion suspected
Satna/Bhopal (PTI): Four children suffering from thalassemia have tested HIV positive at Satna District Hospital in Madhya Pradesh allegedly due to contaminated blood transfusions, officials said on Tuesday.
The case is four months old and an investigation is underway into it, an official said.
Officials suspect the use of contaminated needles or blood transfusions for the spread of infection to the children.
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MP Health Minister Rajendra Shukla told reporters in Bhopal that he has ordered a probe into the matter and sought a report.
“It is also being investigated whether the blood transfusion took place in other hospitals also or only in the government hospital,” he said.
The affected children, aged between 12 and 15 years, received blood transfusions from the hospital's blood bank, as per an official.
Devendra Patel, in-charge of the blood bank at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel District Hospital in Satna, said four children have tested HIV positive and an investigation is underway to determine how they got infected.
"Either an infected needle was used or a blood transfusion occurred. These are the two main reasons I believe. Blood transfusion seems to be the most likely cause," he told PTI Videos.
All these children suffer from thalassemia, and some have received 80 or 100 blood transfusions, he said.
A family member of one of the affected children said that their child was found to be HIV positive during a routine checkup about four months back, and he has been receiving medication, but it had proven to be of no use.
After taking the medication for HIV, the child starts vomiting, feels low and becomes ill, he said.
After the four children were detected with HIV infection, their family members were also tested and the results came out negative, he added.
The Opposition Congress targeted the government over the matter and demanded the resignation of Health Minister Shukla.
Speaking to reporters in Bhopal, Congress MLA and former minister Sachin Yadav claimed such incidents were continuously occurring in Madhya Pradesh.
Earlier, a case of toxic cough syrup came to light in Chhindwara, followed by incidents of rat bites at hospitals in Indore and Satna, and now children have been given HIV-infected blood, he said.
"The health minister is unable to manage the department. He should resign. A murder case should be filed against those responsible for the Satna incident," Yadav said.
Senior Congress leader Sajjan Singh Verma termed it a failure of the government. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav's government has no connection with ground realities, he charged.
"Somewhere rats are roaming in hospitals, somewhere children are being given HIV-infected blood. Instead of preventing HIV, you are spreading it. Mohan Yadav should wake up from his slumber. Children are the nation's heritage and should be taken care of," he added.
