Other States - Orissa   

All help for setting up AIIMS, says Ghulam Nabi Azad

— Photo: Ashoke Chakrabarty

Ghulam Nabi Azad, Union Health Minister and in charge of Orissa Congress, interacting with partymen at Congress Bhaban in Bhubaneswar on Thursday.

BHUBANESWAR: Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Thursday said the Central government will extend all cooperation for the establishment of the proposed All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Sijua on the outskirts of the Capital city.

Addressing a press conference here, Mr. Azad said that the Rs. 820-crore health project had been delayed due to certain laxity on the part of both the Centre and the State government.

The Union Health Minister informed that he had already spoken to Union Environment and Forest Minister Jayaram Ramesh for accordance of necessary clearances to facilitate implementation of the AIIMS project.

Mr. Azad also expressed hope that the State government would do its bit and make the land earmarked for the health institution free from encroachment and ensure shifting of electricity transmission towers from the land at the earliest.

He stated that an institution like AIIMS was necessary in the State as people would be able to get best medical care without going to New Delhi or any other big city outside the State.

If everything goes smoothly, the institution will come up at Sijua in three years time, the Minister said.

As regards to the funds release by the Union Health Ministry to the State, Mr. Azad said a sum of Rs. 1,221 crore had been released under the National Rural Health Mission from 2005 to 2009 and the State government had utilised Rs. 908 crore.

A sum of Rs. 362 crore had been allocated for the State for 2009-10, he added.

Replying to a query about the Naveen Patnaik Government’s allegation that the Centre was neglecting the State on various issues, Mr. Azad refuted the allegation saying that the Central government had never neglected Orissa.

The State government was levelling these allegations to hide its inefficiencies, he said.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Kalakshetra to host art contest
Rs. 3 crore for development of tourist sites
Opposition flays State on naxal issue
CMAS supports movement to save Mali Parvat
Concern over threat to scribe’s life
Maoists threaten to blow up Balimela hydro-electricity project
Elephants on the rampage
All help for setting up AIIMS, says Ghulam Nabi Azad
Narayanpatna: police see naxal hand

Copyright © 2009, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu