MP: Three arrested for selling blood outside Satna hospital after children found HIV positive
Satna (MP) (PTI): Three people were arrested on Thursday for their alleged involvement in the sale of blood outside the government hospital in Satna where six children have been found to have contracted HIV during transfusion, officials said.
The racket was busted by sending a decoy customer, and probe was on as to whether any of the employees of the blood bank at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Government Hospital was involved in the illegal trade, they said.
"There were frequent complaints of people offering to sell blood outside the hospital. Following this, a person was sent as a buyer for verification," sub-divisional magistrate Rahul Siladia told PTI Videos.
A man offered him a unit of blood for Rs 4,500 and was arrested during the actual transaction, the SDM said, adding that two more people were arrested following his questioning.
The police also shot a video of the transaction.
A police officer identified the accused as Ranjeet Sahu, Mohammad Kaif and Anil Gupta. Police were investigating whether the any staff member of the hospital's blood bank was involved in this trade, he added.
In a shocking revelation, six children treated at the hospital for thalassemia -- which requires periodic blood transfusion -- were on December 16 found to have contracted HIV after receiving contaminated blood.
The Madhya Pradesh government has formed a six-member committee to investigate this matter.
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Andhra to be developed as knowledge, creator economy hub: CM Naidu
New Delhi/Amaravati (PTI): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday said the state is taking steps to transform itself into a knowledge and creator economy hub with a strong focus on artificial intelligence and quantum technology.
He noted that Andhra Pradesh has abundant tech-driven youth and the government is formulating plans to train them in futuristic technologies with support from global technology firms.
"Our goal is to transform Andhra Pradesh into a knowledge hub by focusing on AI, quantum computing, data centres, drone cities and space cities. The youth will remain our biggest asset over the next 25 years, and we seek global partnerships to scale up the creator economy," said Naidu during his interactions at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in Delhi.
Naidu, who participated in the summit in the national capital, also held meetings with several global technology leaders and industrialists to explore collaborations in artificial intelligence, clean energy and innovation ecosystems.
He met Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, Autodesk AI Head Mike Haley, Aramco India Director Abdul Rehman AiThukair, LEGO Education Vice President Tom Hall, Aadhaar Founder and CTO Srikanth Nadhamuni, Khosla Ventures Managing Partner Vinod Khosla and others at the AP Pavilion.
The chief minister also held discussions with Saudi Aramco representatives on clean energy projects, including solar initiatives, and invited the company to expand operations in Andhra Pradesh, stating that the state is highly suitable for green energy production.
He sought support from NVIDIA Vice President Callista Redmond for establishing AI Living Labs and proposed partnerships through the Ratan Tata Innovation Hub to promote youth innovation, including collaborations with IIT Tirupati and Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Tirupati under the Andhra Pradesh Future Innovation and Research for Science and Technology (AP FIRST) initiative.
Naidu urged Autodesk leadership to support the development of Global Capability Centres in design engineering and requested the establishment of an Innovation Academy in Amaravati aligned with quantum technology, besides proposing AI and robotics learning labs in partnership with LEGO Education.
He also discussed AI-driven smart governance solutions with Quantela Inc Chairman Sridhar Gadhi, while World Bank Group Digital AI Regional Director Mahesh Uttamchandani met Naidu on the sidelines of the summit.
Following the meetings, Naidu visited various exhibition stalls at the summit, including those of NVIDIA, Tata, Intel and Microsoft, and reviewed AI applications across agriculture, healthcare and industry.
