Medical Education Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who announced in the Legislative Council that a massive fee hike and introduction of NRI quota was being contemplated, justified it on the ground that it is necessary to extend facilities to the staff and run the government medical colleges viably.
He said in the Council that his department has also sought additional grants from the Finance Department for implementing the National Pension Scheme for college employees recruited after 2006. He said that the government has not extended the provident fund facility to all employees of government medical institutes in the State because of financial constraints.
Seeking cooperation of the members to make the two proposals a reality, Minister for Health and Family Welfare Shivananda S. Patil said that otherwise, the government may find it difficult to manage the medical colleges in future. He appealed to the members to support the Bill to be introduced in the House.
BRIMS scam
Replying to another question by Aravinda Kumara Arali on the alleged scam said to be to the tune of ₹18 crore reported in Bidar Institute of Medical Sciences (BRIMS), the Minister said that prima facie it has been established that there were irregularities. The government is conducting a departmental inquiry into it.
The Minister said that the matter is before the High Court of Karnataka as seven of the eight employees against whom the Anti-Corruption Bureau had filed a case have brought a stay order from the court and have obtained bail too.
“The government will not shield anyone in this case,” the Minister said.
