Dehradun, May 24: Two women, including a doctor from AIIMS Rishikesh, have tested positive for Covid-19 in Uttarakhand, prompting the state health department to issue a high alert.

According to officials, both individuals recently travelled to Uttarakhand from other states.

Dr Sunita Tamta, Director General of Health, Uttarakhand, confirmed that a 57-year-old woman from Gujarat who had come to Rishikesh for religious purposes exhibited symptoms of coronavirus.

After testing, she was confirmed positive and is currently under treatment. The second patient is a doctor from Bengaluru who has also tested positive and is receiving treatment at home, said Tamta.

She added that, as of May 22, a total of 277 COVID-19 cases have been reported across India, primarily from Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Kerala.

While there are currently no active local cases in Uttarakhand, the state is intensifying preventive measures in line with central government guidelines.

“All Chief Medical Officers across the state have been instructed to increase Covid testing and sampling. If any new case is detected, genome sequencing should be conducted to identify the variant,” Dr. Tamta stated.

She also emphasised that oxygen plants and hospital beds are being kept operational as a precaution.

Following the two positive cases, the health department is focusing on aggressive sampling and monitoring of incoming travellers from other states.

Meanwhile, Karnataka has also seen a slight uptick in COVID-19 cases, especially in Bengaluru. State Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Friday confirmed that 35 cases have been reported in Karnataka this year, with 32 of them from Bengaluru.

“A gradual increase in Covid-19 spread has been observed in Bengaluru over the past 20 days, though the situation remains under control,” he said.

Minister Rao urged citizens to proactively follow Covid-appropriate behaviour.

“Pregnant women, children, immuno-compromised individuals, and those with comorbidities should wear face masks in crowded places,” he advised.

He also encouraged the use of hand sanitisers and recommended testing for individuals showing symptoms of Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI).

In another development, a nine-month-old infant tested positive for COVID-19 in Bengaluru on May 22 via a Rapid Antigen Test, officials confirmed.

Authorities across multiple states are on alert as the country witnesses a fresh wave of sporadic COVID-19 cases, and health departments are urging continued vigilance to prevent a broader outbreak.

Manama, May 24: An all-party Indian parliamentary delegation, led by BJP MP Baijayant Jay Panda, arrived in Bahrain as part of a high-level diplomatic global outreach mission against terrorism.

The visit, aimed at strengthening India’s ties in the region and highlighting the country’s firm stance against cross-border terrorism, marks the beginning of a multi-nation tour across Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Algeria.

The Embassy of India in Bahrain confirmed the arrival via a post on the social media platform X, stating, “The All-Party Delegation led by H.E. Baijayant Jay Panda, Member of Parliament, arrived in Bahrain. India’s unwavering stand against cross-border terrorism will be highlighted in all the engagements. Hon’ble Baijayant Jay Panda & the delegation were received by Ambassador Vinod K. Jacob at the airport.”

Ahead of the departure, Jay Panda emphasised the bipartisan nature and unity of the group. “Our group is embarking on a trip to West Asia. We have very senior members and broad representation from across the political spectrum. The most important message is the unity that India has demonstrated to the world and continues to demonstrate. We are committed to conveying that, after achieving victory on the battlefield, it is equally important to urge the world to stay focused on terrorism, which many countries have suffered from,” he said.

He further asserted, “India faces a unique form of terrorism, state-sponsored terrorism, and, as you’ve seen recently, many countries are beginning to speak out in support of our position. That is our mission.”

AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi, also part of the Jay Panda-led delegation, outlined the tour’s roadmap and pointed to the broader regional context. “We will be going to Bahrain. Then we will be going to Kuwait, then Saudi Arabia and lastly Algeria. Now, it’s evident that the recent incident in Pahalgam was a tragic one, and for many years, as you and I both know, our neighbouring country, Pakistan, has been running terrorist camps on its own soil, providing them with shelter and support. These terrorists then cross over into our country to carry out attacks. We will be visiting these four countries to present these concerns and realities before them,” Owaisi said.

Rajya Sabha MP Satnam Singh Sandhu also reiterated the group’s intent to represent India’s voice firmly. “We are going to Bahrain. I am part of the Group 1 delegation. Our responsibility is to present India’s position in Bahrain,” he noted.

United Nations, May 24: India has charged Pakistan with violating the Indus Water Treaty by trampling its spirit of goodwill through thousands of terrorist attacks and by obstructing the updating of the infrastructure to ensure its safety.

“Despite this, India has shown extraordinary patience and magnanimity,” said India’s Permanent Representative P Harish, responding to what he said were Pakistan’s campaign of disinformation about New Delhi suspending the treaty.

“India has finally announced that the Treaty will be in abeyance until Pakistan, which is a global epicentre of terror, credibly and irrevocably ends its support for cross-border terrorism. It is clear that it is Pakistan which remains in violation of the Indus Water Treaty and not India,” he said.

After the massacre of 26 people by Pakistan-based terrorists last month, India said it was suspending the treaty reached in 1960 under the aegis of the World Bank to provide Pakistan a consistent share of the water from the Indus and its allied water resources.

Speaking at an informal meeting of the Security Council on protecting water in armed conflict, Harish outlined the problems that have arisen since the treaty was signed.

“Far-reaching fundamental changes have taken place not only in terms of escalating security concerns through cross-border terror attacks, but also growing requirements for producing clean energy, climate change, and demographic change”, he said.

While the technology for dam infrastructure improved to ensure safety and more efficient water use, “some of the old dams are facing serious safety concerns”.

He said that New Delhi formally asked Islamabad on several occasions in the last two years to discuss modifications of the treaty to no avail.

“Pakistan has continued to consistently block any changes to this infrastructure, and any modifications of the provisions, which are permissible under the treaty,” Harish said.

Harish emphasised that while the fundamental basis of the treaty laid out in its preamble is a spirit of goodwill and friendship, Pakistan has inflicted on India three wars and thousands of terror attacks.

He added that these cynical acts continue to endanger the safety of our projects and the lives of civilians.

“In the last four decades, more than 20,000 Indian lives have been lost in terror attacks, the most recent of which was the dastardly targeted terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam last month. In fact, in 2012, terrorists even attacked the Tulbul Navigation Project in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.