Bengaluru, Feb. 18 : Stating that superstition often blocked proper treatment and cure for the mentally ill, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the people have to understand that mental illness can be treated and is curable scientifically.

Prime Minister Modi, who delivered the convocation address at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), added that the field of mental health faces the triple challenges of lack of knowledge, lack of awareness and superstition.

The Prime Minister stated that along with skill and education, certain empathy was also required from doctors while treating patients suffering from mental ailments.

He exhorted the graduating students to treat patients with empathy and to work towards eradication of superstition regarding mental illness in society.

The Prime Minister welcomed as special guests, the poor school children from different schools in Bengaluru, who were present at the convocation.

He encouraged the students who were being awarded degrees today to interact with these children, saying this occasion could prove inspirational for them.

The Prime Minister urged the graduating students to keep in mind the people from various sections of the society who had contributed in their success in any way. He said they should always attempt to live and work for the benefit of the poor and underprivileged sections of society.

He told the graduating students that they had made a conscience call, and answered an inner desire, in choosing this profession. He said their task was tough, but he was confident that their education and their spirit of service would help them accomplish what they had set out to do.

Prime Minister Modi also congratulated all the award winners and graduating students.

Union Ministers Sadananda Gowda, Ananth Kumar and J.P. Nadda, Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala and Chief Minister Siddaramiah were also present on the occasion.

The Prime Minister inaugurated the MR-PET Centre at NIMHANS.

New Delhi, Feb. 18 : Coast Guard Deputy Inspector General (DIG) B.K. Loshali on Wednesday claimed that he has been misquoted and said the Pakistani boat, which was near the Indian maritime border on the intervening night of December 31, 2014 and January 1, 2015, actually set itself on fire and sunk.

“I was there at Surat for the launch of IB 421. And I mentioned that with the induction of these IBs, our coastal security mechanism will be strengthened further. At the same width, I mentioned that no international element will be allowed to breach our coastal security and we are not going to serve them biryanis. The operations are classified in nature. I have been misquoted. The boat had actually set itself on fire and sunk,” Loshali told the media.

“I am the staff chief of the region and I am not directly related to the conduct of operation. As you all know, all uniform services are hierarchical services. So, all directives, guidance have to come from the Commander Coast Guard. In this present case, Kuldeep Sharon. So, I am not in a position to take my own independent decision, as it has been quoted in the paper,” he added.

As per a report in a daily newspaper, Loshali had ordered officers following the Pakistani vessel to ‘blow the boat off’, thus contradicting the government’s claim that the boat had exploded under suspicious circumstances.

On December 31, the Coast Guard had intercepted an explosive-laden Pakistani fishing boat in the Arabian Sea off the Porbandar coast, near the India-Pakistan maritime boundary which lies approximately 365 kilometres away from Porbandar.

A statement by the Ministry of Defence had said that intelligence inputs indicated that the boat was planning some illicit transaction in the Arabian Sea. Based on the information, a Coast Guard Dornier aircraft undertook a sea-air coordinated search and located the suspect vessel.

According to the statement, on being warned, the suspects increased the speed of the boat and attempted to flee to maritime boundary before ultimately setting the vessel on fire resulting in an explosion. Ultimately, the boat burnt and sank in the early hours of January 1. None of the people on board could be saved and the material could not be recovered.

Coimbatore ( Tamil Nadu), Feb. 18 : Nineteen-year-old college student Shradha Prasad is ecstatic about inching closer to her dream of settling down on Mars after clearing the third round of the ‘Mars One’ mission.

‘Mars One’ is an ambitious initiative by a Netherlands-based non-profit organisation by the same name, which hopes to send four people on a one-way trip to the Red Planet in 2024. Prasad is one of the three Indian candidates to have qualified for the fourth and the final round of the mission.

However, out of the three Indian candidates shortlisted so far, Prasad is the only one based in India. The other two Indians include Taranjeet Singh Bhatia, who is studying at the University of Central Florida and Ritika Singh, who is settled in Dubai.

Speaking about her feat, Prasad said living on two planets in one lifetime was something that she had only dreamt of so far, but now it will soon be a reality.

“I came to know about this mission first in July 2013 and back then, when I wanted to apply to the mission, there was a lot of pressure from all sides, asking me not to apply because this seemed [to be] a very dangerous mission. I went ahead with it anyway and once I did, I crossed all the rounds. I feel very happy that I have made it this far,” she said

She added that her parents were initially reluctant of her move but now are proud and happy at her achievement.

The fourth round of selection will comprise of dividing the candidates into teams and testing their endurance for settlement conditions on Mars.

This initiative by Mars One aims at setting up a human colony on Mars. As a part of this mission, around 40 people will eventually be sent to settle down on the planet permanently. Starting in 2024, crews of four people will be sent every two years, with the first unmanned flight slated for lift-off in 2018.

This search for potential astronauts began in April 2013 and 202,586 applications were received by Mars One from across the world.

Bangalore, Feb. 18 (ANI): Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Wednesday said that his ministry is committed towards making the ‘Make in India’ initiative a success, stressing on the importance for India to become self-sufficient in the sector.

“With the security scenario around our country, it is very important that India become self-sufficient in defence and defence production. Prime Ministerji has given a clarion call for ‘Make in India’ and department [Ministry] of Defence has taken on itself to ensure that this ‘Make in India’ happens,” Parrikar said, while addressing the assembled at the first day of ‘Aero India-2015’ air show.

“This is an immensely important venue and important time for ensuring that business deals are struck up so that our target for ‘Make in India’ is made a big success,” he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened the Aero India 2015 at the Air Force Station Yelahanka in the city. Defence Ministers or officials of equivalent ranks of many nations, including the US, Russia, Israel and Germany attended the event, with Minister of State for Defence Rao Inderjit Singh also present. (ANI)

New Delhi, Feb. 18 : Patients undergoing treatment for swine flu in New Delhi have complained of inadequate medical facilities in government hospitals.

The country has seen a steep rise in the number of swine flu cases this year, prompting officials to investigate the cause and step up efforts to combat the virus.

Irate patients and their relatives at the Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in the national capital said that the hospital was running out of medicines.

“I have been running from pillar to post since morning, neither I am being attended nor there is availability of medicines and other necessary equipments. I was told that they have run out of stock. Nothing is available… They are not even ready to listen to us. They ask us to get treatment somewhere else, but there is no any treatment of swine flu outside the government hospitals,” said Mahendra Kumar Yadav, who has been tested positive for the deadly H1N1 virus.

Yadav’s son, attending him at the hospital, has also gotten infected with the virus.

However, Delhi government spokesperson Nagendar Sharma has stated that the city was doing its best to augment the availability of medical equipments.

“A number of things are being said about swine flu that its tests in private labs are costly. Delhi government has said it will look into the matter and all the government hospitals where its test is conducted, it is done free of cost and are being told to increase its capacity,” he said.

Meanwhile, 49 people have succumbed to the infection in Rajasthan, with most colleges and universities closed to restrict the epidemic. The National Law University in Jodhpur city has been shut till March 1.

According to the latest official data released on Tuesday, more than 100 people have succumbed to the H1N1 virus in the past three days, taking the toll to 596 this year. Overall, 8,423 people have contracted swine flu this year in the country.

Doctors say the mortality rates are high because infected persons are coming for treatment at an advanced stage of the disease.

Union Health Minister JP Nadda earlier maintained that the country’s hospitals are well-equipped to combat the growing number of cases. As per reports, the government plans to draft new guidelines for the vaccination of healthcare workers.

Earlier this week, the government had placed an order to increase the national stock of diagnostic kits to test for the virus. Authorities are also procuring 10,000 additional masks and 60,000 doses of the anti-viral drug Oseltamivir.

Mumbai, Feb. 18 : The Coast Guard on Tuesday evening intercepted a Russian vessel, MV Sevastopol, around 110 nautical miles away from the North West of the Mumbai coast.

The intercepted vessel was reportedly under order of arrest by the Madras High Court following a commercial dispute and was trying to flee in order to circumvent judicial proceedings.

Later, a Dornier aircraft was launched by coast guard officials, who successfully found the Russian vessel off Mumbai.

New Delhi : Janata Dal (United) chief Sharad Yadav on Tuesday suspended seven ministers loyal to Jitan Ram Manjhi from the party, claiming that they have not followed the party directive.

“State president Bashishtha Narayan Singh had asked me for authorisation and I told him that he could go ahead and take action on problems emerging in Patna,” Yadav told the media.

“When he finished the assessment and recommended the action [of suspending the ministers], he sent me a letter regarding the same and I consented with his decision,” he added.

The seven ministers in question are Narendra Singh, Brishen Patel, Mahachandra Singh, Samrat Choudhary, Bhim Singh, Shahid Ali Khan and Nitish Mishra.

The seven ministers have been suspended ahead of Manjhi’s floor test in the Bihar assembly later this week.

New Delhi, Feb. 17 : Union Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday condemned the recent attacks on churches in the national capital, saying that such acts should be regarded as ‘unacceptable aberrations’ in a society as liberal as India.

“These [attacks] should be regarded as unacceptable aberrations in a society as liberal as India. And, therefore, the guilty responsible in one case have already been identified and brought to book,” Jaitley said, at a function organised to celebrate the canonisation of Saint Euphrasia and Saint Chavara in New Delhi.

“But, I am quite certain that those mischief makers who indulge in incidents of this kind would have no space in India and certainly would not be spared,” he added.

Stating that he was ‘privileged’ to be a part of the function, Jaitley said that the ‘footprints’ of the two saints are still recognised.

“The event is more celebratory as it celebrates the conferment and elevation of two great Indians to sainthood. These moments are very rare in history when such honour and elevation is conferred on saints emulating from a particular country,” he said.

“The fact that Saint Kuriakose relinquished his body in 1871 and Mother Euphrasia relinquished her body in 1952. It is literally over decades, almost more than a century and half in one case, that their footprints are still recognised and noticed. It is a tribute to the immense contribution that they have made,” he added.

The minister further said that he feels the celebratory moments are also moments for all of us to introspect from their lives.

“I have always thought to what distinguishes these great saints from ordinary mortals like us. While many of us are still attached to material benefits of life, they have captured and conquered most of these weaknesses. They are beyond anger, they have captured temptation, they have overcome any form of greed, they have overcome any form of ambition and have therefore dedicated themselves completely to the cause of humanity, which in their vision is inspired by the religion,” Jaitley said.

“In India, we do have a very large number of cases where such great men and women inspired by religion to such an extent go in service to humanity and mankind and are more concerned with the cause of poor, the downtrodden, and underprivileged. This is where these people have worked,” he added.

“We do have a large number of cases where such great men and women inspired by religion, go in service of humanity and humankind. We have a history of a very liberal tradition in India. At the time of independence, we allowed all religions to prosper and to propagate and serve the mankind. That is the tradition we live in and are inspired with,” Jaitley added.

Concluding his talk Jaitley stressed on learning the message of service to the society from the life of these two saints.

Wagah Border (Punjab), Feb. 17 : One hundred and seventy three Indians, most of them fishermen, who were imprisoned in Pakistan, returned home via the Wagah Border in Punjab on Tuesday. On crossing into India from Lahore, the released and relieved Indians touched their foreheads to the soil as an act of deliverance. Both countries maintain that the prisoners issue is a humanitarian one and should be taken in that spirit. “We used to work a lot there. We didn’t get proper food. We were completely distraught. But I am happy that I am going home after 11 months and 16 days. We (India) should also release their (Pakistani) prisoners,” said Krishna, one of the released prisoner. The fishermen were arrested for fishing in Pakistani waters. Pakistan and India routinely detain fishermen for entering each other’s waters for fishing. They mistakenly enter other’s waters as there is no demarcation of maritime boundaries. India shares an expansive oceanic border with Pakistan without any perceptible demarcation and fishermen on both sides ignore rules while netting their catch. “The India and Pakistan border in the sea should be demarcated so that we are aware of it. We should get our boats, which has been confiscated, because it is our livelihood,” added another fisherman Raju. Pakistan had released 40 Indian prisoners in November last year.

New Delhi, Feb. 17 : The death toll due to swine flu has now crossed the 500 mark across the country with Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra being the worst-affected states.

Reports say at least 100 more casualties were reported in just three days since February 12.

In Maharashtra, at least 50 people have succumbed to the H1N1 virus, taking the total number of cases registered to 352 since January this year

The death toll in Delhi and Tamil Nadu, though, is comparatively low even though the disease is wide spread.

Health Ministry officials have reportedly sent central teams to the worst-affected states like Rajasthan and Gujarat.

Swine flu is caused by H1N1 virus. H1N1 symptoms are similar to those produced by other influenza viruses – fever, cough, sore throat, body aches and respiratory problems.

Symptoms for swine flu include high fever, headache, muscle pain, diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach pain and internal and external bleeding. It is transmitted to people primarily from ticks and livestock animals with an incubation period of up to nine days. Human-to-human transmission takes up to two weeks.