Lieutenant Governor Virendra Kataria on Saturday said that foundation stone for a multi-specialty hospital at Karaikal would be laid within a few days.
Speaking at a function held at Kalapet to lay the stone for a MSME technology centre, he said Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC) had agreed to allot Rs.100 crore for the hospital project and released Rs.45 crore. All steps were taken to start the project as quickly as possible. Foundation stone would be laid before February 28. He hoped that Chief Minister N. Rangasamy would take steps to provide additional funds required for the hospital project.
Stressing the need for wooing more industries to Puducherry, Mr. Rangasamy said that he had urged the Central government several times to extend special sops to industries started in the Union Territory. However, the Centre had not considered his demand for so long. Industrialists knew well that some companies had closed their units in Puducherry owing to stoppage of sops by the Centre. They had established the same units in other States where they were getting sops.
Listing out achievements in his capacity as Member of Parliament, V. Narayanasamy, Minister of State in Prime Minister’s Office, said the MSME technology centre was slated to provide high-end training to nearly 10 per cent of population of Puducherry. It had potential to reduce unemployment to a great extent in the Union Territory.