Over 500 shanties were gutted on Wednesday in a major fire that broke out in a Delhi slum, a fire officer said. No casualties were reported from the incident.

Twelve fire tenders were rushed to the spot as the police control room received a call about the fire breaking out in Bawana area of north Delhi at around 2 p.m, the fire officer said.

"The fire, which spread over an acre, was brought under control at 4.50 p.m," he added.

"No casualties have been reported in the fire, though two fire fighters received injuries as enraged public indulged in stone pelting," Chief Fire Officer Vipin Kental told IANS.

The Delhi government has announced Rs 25,000 compensation for each shanty destroyed in the fire.

"Fire that broke out in Bawana's 'jhuggis' (shanties) is now under control. Arrangements of food and tents are being made. Rs 25,000 compensation for each jhuggi has been announced," Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said.

Pakistani Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai was bestowed honorary Canadian citizenship on Wednesday.

Yousafzai was greeted on the steps of the Centre Block by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as well as a parade of dignitaries, cabinet ministers and diplomats inside the rotunda beneath the Peace Tower, The Toronto Star reported.

Moments later, Trudeau presented her with a certificate documenting her as an honorary Canadian, making her the sixth and youngest ever person to receive the honour.

"It is not just an honorary citizenship of Canada; it is also being Canada's friend, and I warmly accept it," Yousafzai told the gathering afterward.

"I want to thank Canada for its passion for girls' education, for its passion for humanity, for refugees, and for standing up for women's rights, and for peace.

"You are a true example to the world of what it means to stand up for humanity, and I'm hopeful you will inspire many more countries and many more leaders to follow your footsteps," she said.

At the ceremony, Trudeau said that Malala's story was inspirational.

"All the violence you survived at the hands of the Taliban didn't deter you as it would have so many others," Trudeau told the ceremony. "You stood even stronger in the face of oppression; your passion for justice only intensified," he added.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Wednesday invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate India's longest bridge constructed over the river Brahmaputra.

"Called on Hon'ble PM Shri @narendramodi ji and invited him to inaugurate the Dhola-Sadiya bridge over Brahmaputra in May 2017," Sonowal tweeted soon after meeting Modi at the latter's residence here.

The 9.15-km bridge in eastern Assam is longer by 3.55 km than the Bandra-Worli Sealink in Mumbai. Construction of the bridge started in 2011.

Once opened, the bridge will reduce travel time between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh by up to four hours.

The Assam Chief Minister said he also invited Modi for the Global Investors' Summit to be organised by the Assam government in November this year.

He said that Modi stated that sealing of the India-Bangladesh border was of the highest priority for the central government.

"On my request for complete sealing of Indo-Bangla border, Hon'ble PM said that sealing of international border is Centre's topmost priority," Sonowal said in a separate tweet.

The parties across the political spectrum in both Houses of Parliament on Wednesday strongly condemned a BJP youth wing leader Yogesh Varshney's purported remark announcing a Rs 11 lakh bounty to anyone who beheads the Trinamul's West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

As the Opposition parties demanded action against Varshney, the BJP-led central government told Parliament that the Trinamul-led Bengal government was "free to take legal action" against him.

The issue was raked up in both Houses by the Trinamul MPs, with all major political parties and the government coming together to condemn the hate remark.

In the Rajya Sabha, the Deputy Chairman P J Kurien said the Bengal government could register an FIR and take action in the case. 

Raising the matter in the Upper House, the Trinamul member Sukhendu Sekhar Roy said a BJP youth activist has publicly described Mamata as a "demon" and announced Rs 11 lakh bounty for anyone who brings her head to him.

Roy asked the Rajya Sabha and the government to condemn it, accusing the Centre of allegedly trying to

"unleash a reign of terror" in West Bengal in the name of religion among other things.

The Left and other Opposition parties also supported the Trinamul on the matter.

The minister of state for parliamentary affairs, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said: "I strongly condemn such type of statements. State government is free to take appropriate legal action on this issue".

The BSP chief Mayawati and the Congress leader Digvijay Singh demanded that the BJP should take action against its youth wing leader. Describing Varshney's controversial remark as a "serious matter", Mayawati

said, "BJP should not just condemn the statement, but should also take action."

The SP member Jaya Bachchan said there is a need to take "aggressive" steps for protection of women. "You can protect cows, but women are facing atrocities," she told the government. Asking how could a political activist make such remarks, especially against a woman CM, she asked, "Is this the way you are going to protect women?"

The BJP member Roopa Ganguly said she too is a woman and that she had allegedly been beaten up by "goons" led by the Mamata-headed Trinamul in front of policemen because of which she had been bed-ridden for 3 months. "The Bengal CM, who is also a woman, should answer this," Roopa said.

In the Lok Sabha, the Trinamul leader Saugata Roy raised the issue, saying that the BJP youth wing leader had made the bounty remark against the Bengal CM following police action on a BJP rally in Birbhum on Hanuman Jayanti.   

Expressing serious concern, Saugata demanded "all possible action" from the  Centre against activists making such provocative announcements.

He was backed by other Opposition parties, with the Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge demanding "strong action" from the Narendra Modi government on the matter.

The parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar said the governemnt condemned such remarks against the Bengal CM. 

The Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said there have been many unpleasant instances in recent political discourse

and that everyone must work together to correct it. "Such a trend is wrong. Everyone should maintain restraint," she added.

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved the Power Ministry's proposal to sign the MOU for "Establishment of the BIMSTEC Grid Interconnection", a cabinet communique said.

It will be signed among member states of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) at its upcoming third energy ministers' meeting to be held in Nepal shortly.

Bimstec is an international organisation involving a group of countries in South Asia and South East Asia – Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal.

Under the "BIMSTEC Trans-Power Exchange and Development Project", it was decided that a task force led by Thailand, with representatives of member countries, would give a report on draft MoU for grid interconnections.

Subsequently, the draft MoU was finalised by the task force in March 16, 2015.

This MoU will provide a broad framework for the parties to cooperate towards the implementation of grid interconnections for the trade in electricity with a view to promoting rational and optimal power transmission in the region.

Despite speculations to the contrary, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Wednesday met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. There was speculation this would not happen due to the tension between the two nations.

"Russian President Vladimir Putin is meeting US Secretary of State Tillerson and Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov at the Kremlin," Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Peskov did not elaborate on what the three discussed. Earlier in the day, Tillerson held a meeting with Sergey Lavrov.

The top US diplomat is visiting Moscow amid a conflict over the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria. The US blamed the incident, which happened almost two weeks ago, on Damascus, and retaliated with a barrage of cruise missiles targeting a Syrian airbase.

Russia called it a possible false flag operation and said the US attack was an act of international aggression. It also said more provocative incidents involving toxic agents may follow in Syria, now that the Trump administration has demonstrated it can be baited into the reaction that the enemies of Damascus want from it.

Moscow believes a proper investigation, including at the scene of the reported attack, is necessary to establish the truth.

The opening pair of David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan scored 49 and 48 runs respectively to build a strong foundation for Sunrisers Hyderabad as they reach 158/8 in 20 overs of an IPL 2017 match against Mumbai Indians on Wednesday.

Hosting the tenth match of the season ten at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai put a strong grip over resilient Hyderabad.

A flawless bowling line-up of Mumbai kept the opponents under control.

Warhorse spinner Harbhajan Spinner gained maximum as he took two big wickets in the shape of Warner and Deepak Hooda (9).

Jasprit Bumrah led the pace attack, claiming the scalp of Ben Cutting (20), wicketkeeper-batsman Naman Ojha (9) and tail-ender Rashid Khan (2).

Overseas delight Lasith Malinga and Mitchell McClenaghan supported Indian speedster as they dismissed Vijay Shankar (1) and Dhawan respectively.

All-rounder Hardik Pandya also joined the celebration after taking the scalp of SRH star campaigner Yuvraj Singh (5).

Even though Mumbai ruled the session, the game wasn't in their favour since the start. Sunrisers openers started steadily and took their time to settle before hitting big shots.

Batting in first ten overs without any loss of a wicket, Warner and Dhawan put 81 runs for the opening-wicket partnership.

However, following their dismissals, no other batsmen managed to put a strong impression. SRH lost five of their batsmen for a single-digit score.

Click here for more stories related to IPL 2017

Haryana's Transport Department suspended 120 employees of the state roadways on Wednesday as the strike by the roadways staff continued for the third day, paralysing public transport in the state.

Over 4,000 buses of the Haryana Roadways remained off the roads for the third day, with common people bearing the brunt of the strike.

Harassed people said that they were inconvenienced and could not reach other places for work and jobs owing to the strike.

"This (strike) happens everytime. The government and the employees know that they will eventually sit down and talk and resolve the issues. But no one is bothered that commuters are being harassed," said Sheela Kumari, a resident of Ambala.

Those suspended included leaders of various roadways employees' unions.

Haryana Roadways buses did not ply from the 24 bus depots across the state on Wednesday.

Haryana Roadways Workers Union President Sarbat Singh Punia said that the striking employees could not be cowed down by intimidatory tactics like suspension.

Meanwhile, state Director General of Police (DGP) K.P. Singh said that in view of the strike by the state roadways employees, officers in all districts have been directed to maintain law and order and ensure that no person causes any harm to public property.

Singh said nobody should be allowed to stop any private bus from operating. "Additional police personnel have been deputed in such sensitive areas as Jind and Rohtak, and SPs in other districts have been directed to depute home guards, if required," he said.

As thousands of commuters suffered inconvenience for the third consecutive day on Wednesday, talks between roadways employees' leaders and the state government failed to break the logjam.

The striking employees are demanding a rollback on a recent Transport Department policy under which private bus owners were allowed more permits to operate services across Haryana.

Their leaders threatened to continue with the strike till their demand was accepted unconditionally.

Over 13 lakh people travel daily in nearly 4,200 Haryana Roadways buses, including luxury Volvo buses, on intra- and inter-state routes.

Transport Minister Krishan Lal Panwar said the interests of roadways employees as well as the people of the state are of paramount importance for the state government, which is always ready to hold talks with employee unions.He said 853 private buses are presently operating on 273 routes and all operators have got their permits made afresh.

In a major setback to the Tata Housing Development Company Ltd, the Delhi High Court on Wednesday set aside the grant of environment approval given to its ambitious Tata Camelot Housing project near Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh.

A division bench of Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice R.S. Endlaw, while setting aside environment clearance of the project, also ruled as invalid the permission granted by Nagar Panchayat Naya Gaon to Tata HDCL to construct the project.

The Rs 1,275 crore venture, on 52 acres, would have around 2,100 flats in 19 towers, ranging between 7 and 28 storeys near the Chandigarh Capitol Complex.

The project site is about 123 metres from the Sukhna wildlife sanctuary, while the Sukhna Lake is just 1,500 metres away.

The court said that the area over which the project is proposed to be constructed by Tata HDCL forms part of the catchment area of Sukhna Lake as demarcated in the Survey of India map on September 21, 2004 and "is binding on the Punjab and in turn, Tata HDCL is also bound by the same".

Setting aside the environment clearance, the bench in its 169-pages order said: "Environmental clearance dated September 17, 2013 granted by State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) Punjab for development of the project proposed by Tata HDCL is not in conformity with the notification dated September 14, 2006 of Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and therefore, the same shall stand set aside."

The court's order came on PILs seeking quashing of sanction and approval granted for the project in Kansal village near the lake, since, according to a survey the project falls within the catchment area of Sukhna Lake and it was declared a reserved forest area.

The pleas had said if the land and its surrounding areas are allowed to be urbanised, "it will result in the degradation of the habitat and disturb thousands of migratory birds which come every year to the Sukhna Lake".

It was also alleged in the pleas that the Nagar Panchayat Naya Gaon Master Plan 2021, under which the project is permitted, "was tailor-made to suit the needs of the respondent/builder".

The court, declaring as invalid the permission granted by Nagar Panchayat Naya Gaon to Tata HDCL to construct the project, set aside the permission and also directed the Punjab to reconsider the matter in the light of this judgment.

It added: "If re-consideration by the State of Punjab as directed above is in favour of Tata HDCL, Tata HDCL if so desires may apply to the Central Government for Environmental Clearance treating the project as a category 'A' project".

The apex court had in August 2013 stayed the housing project by reversing the go-ahead granted to it by the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Later, the Supreme Court transferred the pleas to the Delhi High Court and asked it to decide the matter.

Injured Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli, who is yet to feature in the ongoing Indian Premier League, on Wednesday went through some fielding drills during the team's net session, here.

After spending some time in the pavilion, Kohli climbed down the staircase before walking into the ground, carrying his kit.

After doing a few loosening exercises, Kohli sat on the chair to watch Sachin Baby and Chris Gayle bat in the nets.

After half an hour, Kohli joined a bunch of players who were getting ready for fielding and catching drills at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

The RCB captain was seen swiftly running around to hold on to some high and low catches under the watchful eyes of team's fielding coach Trent Woodhill.

Kohli didn't drop a single catch during the drill and was seen throwing the ball at wicketkeeper Kedar Jadhav with great power, which is an indication that he has recovered from the shoulder injury he had suffered while fielding during the third Test against Australia at Ranchi.

The injury forced Kohli to miss the fourth Test at Dharamsala.

Kohli, yesterday, had dropped hints that he may just make a return from injury in RCB's next match against Mumbai Indians.

Kohli also posted a video on his instagram account of his gym session.

"Can't wait to get back onto the field. Almost there now on 14th April?," his post read.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) opener Chris Lynn's injury is not as bad as it was presumed to be initially and there is a good chance of the Australian playing a role during the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season, coach Jacques Kallis said here on Wednesday.

There were reports that the Queenslander might miss the T20 tournament after featuring in just two matches where he scored heavily. Lynn hurt his left shoulder while fielding during the four-wicket loss against Mumbai Indians.

The latest injury was the third time Lynn had dislocated the same shoulder in the last two years.

"He has gone for his scan. It's not as bad as we thought," Kallis told reporters at the Eden Gardens here on the eve of KKR's match against King's XI Punjab. 

"Our medical staff is working overtime to see how quickly we can get him ready and if we can get him ready. There is a good chance we will play a role for us this season," the former South Africa all-rounder added.

Asked if he could put a time to Lynn's return, Kallis said: "It's still to early to assess. We are not going to rush him. When he feels he is ready to play, the medical staff will qualify when there is a possibility of him playing, we will certainly play him when we can."

Lynn had made an impressive start to the IPL, having made 93 off 41 balls against Gujarat Lions and 32 off 24 against Mumbai. 

Lynn is so far the highest scorer in this year's IPL with 125 runs in two matches at a strike rate of 192.30.

Actress Sanaya Irani, who is currently seen as a contestant alongside her husband Mohit Sehgal on dance reality show Nach Baliye 8, says she considers herself a better dancer than him.

"I am a non-dancer. When I was a part of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 8, its judges used to say that a non-dancer came into the finals. But now I find this funny that suddenly in Nach Baliye, people are calling me a dancer," Sanaya told here on Wednesday.

"Still, I consider myself a non-dancer. It's just that I am a better dancer than Mohit. I feel it will take time for us to understand each other's dance. It's hard, but it's amazing how our bodies are tuning slowly yet steadily," she added.

Sanaya said Mohit is working hard on his dancing skills for the Star Plus show.

"I have better knowledge of music and rhythm than Mohit. He has less knowledge in dance, but he is working hard. I am very happy that with every week he is improving his skills. It is difficult for him. Still, I feel he will learn it for sure," she said.

Sanaya, who married Mohit in January 2016, says the two were offered Nach Baliye a couple of times in the past.

"We were being offered ‘Nach Baliye' since last four or five years, but due to work commitments we were not able to become a part of it. I don't want to do two things together. This time also there were a few date issues. However, somehow we managed to make time and decided to do this show," she said.

Nach Baliye 8 also features celebrity couples like Divyanka Tripathi and Vivek Dahiya; Dipika Kakar and Shoaib Ibrahim; Abigail Jain and Sanam Johar; and Bharti Singh and Harsh Limbachiyya.

The show is being judged by Sonakshi Sinha, Terence Lewis and Mohit Suri.

Nikki Haley, US envoy to the United Nations, has characterised Russia as "skittish" and "isolated" in the wake of Syria's deadly chemical weapons attack last week that killed scores of civilians.

On Tuesday, US officials charged Russia with trying to cover up the attack, and Haley said in an interview with CNN that she thinks that Moscow "knew" about it beforehand.

"I think that if you look at the fact that when this information came out, they were so quick to defend," Haley said. 

"They didn't look shocked, they didn't look surprised. They were so quick to defend. And then the evidence comes out and we see exactly what it is. And we know exactly what the environment was. Then you realise that …"

"I think that they knew (what was going on), yes," Haley told CNN.

"I think they're nervous… They very much feel as if they've been weakened by Assad's actions and their cover up. They realise the international community didn't buy it and is not buying it," Haley added. 

"And they now have to figure out how to save face. We're giving them all the options to save face."

Haley's comments come before critical meetings between Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, which were expected to focus on Assad's use of chemical weapons on his own people, said the report. 

The former South Carolina Governor also weighed in on comments by White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, who used Adolf HItler in a criticised analogy to describe the heinousness of Assad's actions.

"It's unfortunate," she said. "We should never have comparisons with Hitler, ever. What I hope Sean was trying to say is just how awful Assad is."

Spicer had said "that even Adolf Hitler had not used the kind of chemical weapons that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had".

He made the comparison as he tried to condemn Russia's alliance with Assad in the wake of the chemical attack in Syria last week.

"We didn't even use chemical weapons in World War II," Spicer said during a press briefing.

In a unique marriage of interior decor and India's tradional folk and tribal art, objects highlighting the country's broad cultural history will go under the hammer at two of Saffornart's upcoming online sales.

'The Design Sale' (April 1819) and 'Living Traditions, Folk and Tribal Art' (April 19  20) will present distinct elements that stand testimony to India's traditional beauty and craftsmanship.

“With 'Living Traditions, Folk and Tribal Art' auction, we continue our efforts to establish and develop folk and tribal art as an important category at Saffronart. The lots on offer represent the depth and diversity of India's indigenous art traditions,” Hugo Weihe, CEO of Saffronart, said.

The 'Living Traditions, Folk and Tribal Art' sale will feature objects such as masks and breastplates, that formed an important part of rituals and ceremonies.

The sale will be led by an 18th-century bronze breastplate from Karnataka/ Kerala with subtly    detailed cobras, estimated at Rs.1215 lakhs.

“Their significance in Indian customs goes back centuries. These traditions continue to inspire modern and contemporary artists in India and around the world, while offering collectors a chance to acquire an aspect of Indian culture that has long been overlooked,” Weighe said.

The 'Design Sale', on the other hand, will feature iconic modernist designs by visionaries like Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret and George Nakashima and will include a substantial collection of Art Deco furniture of the 1920s and 30s.

First showcased in India by influential royal families, trade merchants and well travelled entrepreneurs who had seen it in Europe, Art Deco brought new styles to Indian design.

While a set of two 'Grass-Seated Chairs' in sheesham with rope by George Nakashima is estimated at Rs.1.7 – 2.20 lakhs, a 'Chandelier' by Barovier & Toso in murano glass and brass is estimated at Rs.5 – 7 lakhs.

Clay Adler, who starred on MTV's Newport Harbor: The Real Orange County, committed suicide with a gun in March. He was 27.

Adler went to the desert with friends on March 25, where the group was shooting. He turned a gun and shot himself in the head while in the middle of firing, reported People magazine.

The reality star's father, Frank Adler, confirmed that he passed away from suicide a day later in the hospital on March 26, and no drugs or alcohol were found in his system.

“He had been clean for several years,” Frank said.

“We are saddened by the news of Clay Adler's passing. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this time,” MTV said in a statement.

Adler also appeared in TV movie The Fish Tank (2009) and an episode of Make It or Break It (2009).

The Road Transport and Highways and Shipping Ministry (MoRTH) has approved the measures concerning safety of women commuters availing of cab services, recommended by the Women and Child Development Ministry.

Following numerous cases of sexual harassment of women in cabs being reported to WCD Minister Maneka Gandhi on social media, the minister held a meeting with radio cab service providers.

Based on the meeting, Maneka Gandhi wrote to Road Transport and Highways and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari recommending measures to incorporate in the MoRTH’s regulatory guidelines.

The WCD minister thanked Gadkari for accepting the recommendations to help implement measures for increased safety of women in taxis/cabs.

The WCD Cab Safety measures for Women included in the new Taxi Policy Guidelines consist of the following recommendations:

•The taxis should be fitted with GPS panic devices.

•For the safety of women and child passengers, the central locking system in taxis should not be allowed.

•The driver's identification along with the photo and registration number of the vehicle should also be prominently displayed in the taxi.

•Violation of the stipulated rules by the taxi operators/drivers should be strictly dealt in accordance with law.

•Sharing of seat should be subject to willingness of passengers.

The WCD minister has launched a hashtag, #HelpMeWCD, where any woman or child facing harassment/ violence can directly report their cases by tweeting.

South Asian nations including India are “vulnerable” to emerging infectious diseases like Zika and Ebola and their level of preparedness is “inadequate” to protect public health, a new analysis on Wednesday said.

Inadequate surveillance and uneven health system capacity may accelerate the spread of the emerging infectious diseases in the region, which is already burdened by diseases like tuberculosis, HIV and malaria, an analysis as part of a collection of twelve analyses on health in South Asia published in British Medical Journal (BMJ) said.

The analysis pointed out that although sporadic cases of dengue infection were seen in many South Asian countries in the 1960s, regular epidemics only occurred in the early 1990s in India and Sri Lanka.

“In India and Sri Lanka, by around 40 years of age 90-95 per cent of adults have been infected with the dengue virus, while 41 per cent have been infected with chikungunya,” it said.

Noting that Anthrax is endemic in large parts of South Asia, the analysis said that in the border areas of India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, poor vaccination and surveillance have been accompanied by “increasing” anthrax cases, which prompted Bangladesh to announce a “red alert” in 2010.

Noting that rabies remains endemic in eight countries in South East Asia, with 1.4 billion people at risk, the authors in the analysis said that the region contributes about 45 per cent of global rabies deaths, while the “rhetoric” on elimination continues to grow.

“Brucellosis, bovine tuberculosis, and a range of food- borne diseases contribute to the morbidity and mortality attributable to zoonotic infections but are struggling to gain the attention of policymakers in the subcontinent, despite it resulting in 150 million illnesses, 175,000 deaths, and 12 million disability-adjusted life years,” the analysis said.
The analysis found that the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus A/H5N1, which was introduced to the subcontinent in 2005 through wild birds, has since become endemic across large parts of northeast India and Bangladesh, across porous international borders.

“It has resulted in losses of around USD 500 million,” the analysis by Centre for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy (CDDEP) Director Ramanan Laxminarayan and colleagues said.

“South Asia stands vulnerable to emerging infectious diseases. Examining the vulnerability to emerging and growing infectious disease threats and the capacity to respond to outbreaks, the analysis finds the level of preparedness is inadequate to protect public health,” it said.

South Asia is defined by the World Bank as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka and is home to a quarter of the world's population.

It bears a significant proportion of the global burden of infectious disease, with longstanding battles against TB, HIV and malaria.

“Emerging and growing infectious diseases, like Zika, Ebola, MERS-CoV, and avian influenza, are adding to the already significant burden of disease, and their spread may accelerate in the face of factors such as inadequate surveillance and uneven health system capacity.

“The current state of affairs appears to result from a severe policy neglect, including a general lack of commitment to the 'One Health' approach in policy discourse, which would consider the interrelation of animal health, human health, and the environment,” the authors noted.

The analysis found that Nipah virus emerged in Malaysia in the late 1990s, initially being misdiagnosed as Japanese encephalitis (JE), and there have since been frequent outbreaks in Bangladesh and to a lesser extent in India.

They said the lack of preventive measures and surveillance has led to some previously sporadic diseases like Nipah virus and Chandipura virus becoming “endemic” in these countries.

There has also been a marked rise in incidence, even as mortality rates have decreased, for some diseases, they said.
“With rapid shifts in urbanisation and increasing population, South Asia has the opportunity and obligation to implement meaningful policy changes to prepare against emerging infectious diseases.

“Millions of lives are at stake and betting against the spread of emerging infectious diseases would be irresponsible,” said Laxminarayan.

The analysis noted that the elimination of polio from many countries in the region, most recently in India, is a “landmark” achievement.

“At the global scale, South Asia must become more engaged in the health security agenda. The government of India is a founder contributor to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation (CEPI), an initiative that aims to accelerate the development of new vaccines for high threat pathogens.

“This leadership is commendable, but such research and development pipelines need to be linked to strengthened surveillance, response, and research platforms within South Asia to ensure that it can be evaluated and implemented locally.