Mysuru MP Pratap Simha on Saturday met Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Labour and Employment Bhupender Yadav in New Delhi and urged him to consider setting up a 100-bed ESI Hospital in Kushalnagar since there is not a single ESI hospital in Kodagu. This will realise the long cherished dream of the working community in the region, he felt.
In a letter to the Minister, Mr. Simha said about 4,500 workers are enrolled in around 120-130 very small, small, medium and large industries under the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) in Kushalnagar taluk in Kodagu. But, this large workforce is still not able to get the benefits of ESI in their neighbourhood.
Therefore, he urged the Minister to initiate the process of setting up a well-equipped 100-bed ESI hospital for the benefit of workers in the district.
Also, Kodagu will be shortly on the railway map with the commencement of the nearly ₹1,800 crore new Mysore-Kushalnagar-Madikeri Broad Gauge Railway Line Project, which will pave the way for opening up new vistas of development of the hinterland. As such, delivery of high quality healthcare for workers in the upcoming industries in the district becomes an imperative, he opined.
