Finance Minister Piyush Goyal’s announcement to set up an All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Haryana, during his Interim Budget speech on Friday, brought a smile on the faces of hundreds of protesters holding a sit-in at Rewari's Manethi village for the past over four months in support of their demand for the same.
Soon after the announcement, Union Minister of State for Planning (Independent Charge) and Gurugram Lok Sabha MP Rao Inderjit Singh told The Hindu that the AIIMS proposed in the Budget would be set up at Manethi.
“I would soon visit the agitation site to ask the protesters to end the dharna ,” said Mr. Singh.
Spearheading the agitation, which has entered its 123rd day, Manethi village Sarpanch Shayotaj Yadav said, the announcement by the Finance Minister was a big victory for the people of his village and the neighbouring areas. “We had started a relay hunger strike as well on November 1 to press for our demand. It seems all our hard work has now paid off,” said Mr. Yadav.
Councillor Azad Singh Nandha said setting up of the AIIMS will not only help the people of South Haryana but also those staying in Rajasthan along the Haryana border.
It is also expected to generate several thousand jobs in the region, he said, adding: “Not just healthcare, it would be a catalyst for the all-round development of the region which is considered to be backward.”
The President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind in a joint session of Parliament of 16th Lok Sabha in 2014, had announced setting up of AIIMS in each State following which then Union Health and Family Welfare Minister had written to Chief Ministers of 15 States, including Haryana, to identify land for the institutes.
On July 4, 2015, Mr. Khattar made an announcement at Bawal public meeting to set up an AIIMS in Manethi and wrote a letter to the Union Health Minister in this regard on July 22, 2015. However, Mr. Khattar went back on his words saying that he had made the announcement in over-enthusiasm leading to the sit-in.
Over the past four months, the protesters also held a Mahapanchayat and performed havan to press for their demand. On January 27, around 15,000 people courted arrest as part of the “Jail Bharo Andolan” to put pressure on the government to agree to their demand.
Mr. Singh also wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 16 for setting up of AIIMS in Manethi arguing that non-fulfilment of the Chief Minister’s announcement could have an impact on the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
