According to the report submitted in both Houses of Parliament before its dissolution, India now has 8.13 million HIV positive cases, out of which 4,725 have developed into full-fledged AIDS cases.

The figures mean that a quarter of the world's 30 million HIV-infected people live in India and that the HIV epidemic is spreading much faster than first projected, with enormous budgetary implications.

Estimates released by UNAIDS, a United Nations body, places the cost of managing a single case at around 11,000 dollars and cumulative aggregate costs at eleven billion dollars or Rs 46,200 crore.

But the new figures would double those costs and India could soon be spending twice than what it spends on defence, managing HIV cases, according to experts.

``Accepting the figures of the Parliamentary report implies thata huge amount will have to go into care for existing cases alone,'' says Purushothaman Mulloli, convenor of the Joint Action Council, a NGO.

Mulloli warned that the huge sums involved represent a write-off, considering that the HIV-infected cannot be brought back into the mainstream.

Sovereignty issues are also involved since the money will have to come from loans given by international donor agencies which have already pledged 350 million dollars for AIDS control activities in this country.

According to a World Bank paper, HIV or AIDS remains a major development issue in India, calling for a stronger response and partnership between Union and State Governments, NGOs and the international community.

India, according to the bank, has requested the World Bank to finance part of its second phase and a 191-million dollar concessionary credit is being considered by the board.