The Union Health Ministry has taken strong exception to statements made by US Ambassador Robert Blackwill and Microsoft chief Bill Gates on the AIDS scare in India. And word has it that the ministry may even turn down Bill Gates’ request for a meeting next week with Health Minister Shatrughan Sinha who is not so pleased with the ‘‘negative’’ statements.Blackwill said yesterday that 25 million Indians are likely to be afflicted with HIV by the year 2010. ‘‘If immediate action is not taken to check the spread of the deadly disease, India could soon surpass South Africa with the highest number of HIV/AIDS-afflicted persons in the world,’’ he said.The US Ambassador’s statement comes after a series of remarks by Microsoft chief Bill Gates on the same issue. Bill Gates, in recent interviews to Indian magazines and newspapers, expressed concern about the spread of the disease. He has requested a meeting with the Prime Minister and the Health Minister and pledged to invest $100 million on improvement of healthcare in India.The Health Ministry, however, has taken strong exception to the remarks, coming as they do from outside the country. Talking to The Indian Express, a visibly upset Health Minister Shatrughan Sinha said: ‘‘I don’t think anyone should contribute to spreading panic among the general public. We are aware of the situation and it does concern me personally. But what do we achieve by saying in public that we will have 25 million people with AIDS in the coming years?’’He said he appreciates the ‘‘concern’’ shown by ‘‘friends’’ but maintained that he could not agree with the figures being cited. ‘‘Every year we update the information on the HIV/AIDS scene in the country. And we are surprised by the figures being cited freely.’’ Sinha was closeted in a meeting with the Project Director of National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), Meenakshi Dutta Ghosh, for over an hour this afternoon. After the meeting, Ghosh said: ‘‘NACO compiles AIDS figures every year but there is no report that indicates that India will have 25 million people afflicted by the disease by 2010.’’Bill Gates has sent a letter to the ministry requesting a meeting with Sinha on November 11, the day he arrives in the Capital. But Sinha’s staff refused to say anything on the meeting. ‘‘Nothing can be said right now. He (Bill Gates) wants to invest $100 million in the country but the agenda of the meeting’s not been finalised,’’ said an official.Sinha refused to comment when asked if he will be meeting Bill Gates. ‘‘The PM hasn’t come back yet.We can’t finalise anything till he gets back,’’ he said.
