*Dr Jitendra appeals misguided youth to join mainstream, Nirmal takes dig at Cong, NC
Avtar Bhat
KATHUA, June 10: Union Minister of Health and Medical Education, Jagat Prakash Nadda today laid the foundation stone of two Medical Colleges at Kathua and Doda along with Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, Union Minister in PMO, Dr Jitendra Singh, Deputy Chief Minister , Dr Nirmal Singh, Minister of Health and Medical Education, Bali Bhagat and MoS Health and Medical Education, Asiea Naqash at two separate functions held at Chak Sajan in Kathua and Ghat in Doda district.
The two Medical Colleges will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 189 crore each over 160 kanals of land.
Addressing a mammoth public rally at Kathua soon after laying the foundation stone of Medical College, Nadda said with these two new Medical Colleges the tally of new Medical Colleges has reached to five in the State, the foundation stone of which was laid in a period of last one year.
Terming it a great achievement of Narendra Modi as well as State Government headed by Mehbooba Mufti, he said no one would have thought that J&K will get additional 700 seats of MBBS in a period of two years. With this the tally of total MBBS seats will rise to 1000 as already there were 300 seats for MBBS in the GMCs of the State.
Nadda said the foundation stone of three other Medical Colleges was already laid in the State last year. He said 500 seats will come every year from these Medical Colleges. Terming it a big change, he said Medical College Kathua will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 189 crore. He also announced release of Rs 51 crore from the Centre as the first installment and asked the authorities to start the work immediately. The next installment will also be released soon, he added.
The Union Health Minister announced two Cancer Institutes for the State, one at Srinagar in Kashmir valley and another at Jammu. He said the two institutes will be constructed at Rs 120 crore each. In addition to this three Tertiary Cancer Centers will be constructed at Kishtwar and Udhampur in Jammu region and Kupwara in Kashmir valley at the cost of Rs 45 crore each. Terming it a big revolution, he said, this is the dream of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.
Lashing out at previous UPA regime led by Congress, Nadda said bad days were then when no Union Minister bothered to visit this State and without naming Dr Manmohan Singh, he said the then Prime Minister was a puppet. “The good days have now come when Prime Minister is Pradhan Sevak’’, he added.
Maintaining that though “we should not bother what the opponents say” Nadda said “for a politician it is imperative to make difference between good and bad days”.
Nadda said now it is our responsibility how to take advantage of these good days. While commending J&K in its progressing in health sector, he gave a pat to the Health Minister Bali Bhagat saying that the State topped in vaccination.
Referring to various new schemes launched by Union Government in Health Sector to provide succor to people, he said PM’s Dialysis Yojna is one of them under which the dialysis machines will be installed in every district hospital. Besides, under Affordable Medicines for Reliable Treatment (AMRT) shops will be opened at Jammu and Srinagar to make medicines available to people on affordable rates. He asked people to take advantage of these schemes.
He said two AIIMS were given to the State . The funds will be no problem for Medical colleges and State Government has to start the construction so that the students can take admission.
Addressing the public rally, Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti said opening of five more Medical Colleges in the State will not produce new doctors only but also better the health care facilities in the far flung areas of the State and the patients will get better treatment now.
She, while congratulating the people on laying the foundation of Kathua and Doda Medical Colleges, said that “Central Government is fully backing us”. She said earlier the selection of land was a hurdle for the Medical College of Kathua and that problem has been over come now.
The CM laid stress on completing the construction work within two years time. She said out of five Medical colleges, three are in Jammu region while two are in Kashmir valley.
Mehbooba expressed the hope that in the coming days the State will overcome the dearth of doctors, para medical staff and medicines. She said J&K is known for secular values where all Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs etc live together and this is the reason that Father of Nation Mahatma Gandhi in 1947 had seen a ray of light here when entire Sub Continent was engulfed by communal clashes.
She said Kathua Medical College is fourth Medical College in the State whose foundation was laid by Nadda in last over one year and “I don’t think that any Union Minister had laid foundation stones of four Medical Colleges in a State over a period of one year’’.
Later addressing the function at Doda, Mehbooba said that it was a dream of former Chief Minister and her late father Mufti Mohammed Sayeed to improve the health care facilities for the people living in far-flung especially hilly areas of the State and with laying the foundation stone of this Medical College this dream has come true.
She said the idea behind stitching alliance with BJP was to get the State out of the challenges.
“The basic idea behind stitching an alliance in the State was to get it out of its perennial miseries and challenges,” She said.
Hoping that the country’s strong leadership would be able to take the people of the State out of the difficult situation and give its youth a prosperous, peaceful and vibrant future, she said, “the growth and progress of the country remains incomplete if effective steps are not taken to get Jammu and Kashmir out of the quagmire of uncertainties and miseries.”
Mehbooba thanked the Centre for supporting the State Government in terms of fund flow and other initiatives. “With the coming up of these new Medical Colleges and two AIIMS, the healthcare facilities in the State would get a phenomenal upgradation and sophistication,’’ she said adding that not only would the number of doctors in the State increase, the people of the State would also get specialized treatments and care at these hospitals.
Complimenting the people of the area, the Chief Minister hoped the setting up of a Medical College would offset the decades’ long grievance of the people there. “My Government would ensure that every area which could not be represented in the developmental pace of the State in the past is included in future,’’ said Ms Mufti.
Addressing the function at Kathua Union Minister in PMO, Dr Jitendra Singh while referring to development schemes and projects launched by Modi Government at Centre said what has been done by Modi Government in three years could not be done in last 60 years.
Counting achievements and developmental projects launched and inaugurated in the State he said soon after becoming Prime Minister in May 2014, Narendra Modi first visited the holy township of Katra to inaugurate Railway Station there. The Prime Minister visited maximum times to the State and spend some days with the people here, he added.
After laying foundation of Railway Station, PM visited the State during floods in September 2014 and later spent Deewali with the people at Srinagar in Kashmir valley. He again visited the State and announced Rs 80,000 crore package for its development when Mufti Mohamed Sayeed was Chief Minister.
Lashing out at opposition parties for criticizing the Government, Dr Jitendra Singh said it is the evidence based era and facts can’t be denied. He said Union Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley visited the State for six times during last three years while Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh visited five times, Health Minister Nadda visited three times while former Defence Minister, Manohar Parikkar also visited State to inaugurate the Atal Sethu at Basohli which is first type of bridge of its kind in Northern India.
Union Minister of Road Transport Nitin Gadkari performed Bhoomi Poojan and laid foundation of Keriyan Gandyal bridge at Kathua while HRD Minister Prakash Javedkar laid the foundation of IIT at Jammu. Besides, two Union Ministers Dr Harshvardhan and Narinder Singh Tomar also visited the State, he added.
Dr Jitendra Singh, while recalling the achievements said Biotech Park at Ghati Kathua, opening of Pass Port Office at Udhampur, laying foundation stone of Radio Station at Udhampur, sanctioning of over Rs 150crore Devika Conservation Project, Weather forecasting station at Sanji Chat Katra, sanctioning of Chatergala tunnel and sanction of Delhi,Amritsar, Katra Corridor, seed form, announcement of two AIIMS, two Engineering Colleges one for Kathua and another for Kashmir are some projects worth name which were under taken by the present Government for the development and welfare of the State.
Dr Jitendra Singh, while lashing out at previous Governments said that they could not sanction the Radio Station for Udhampur in last 50 years despite it was a major demand of the people.
The Union Minister said over 65 percent of the population of the country is of youth who are below 40 years of age. As it is the age of youth he appealed the youth of the State including misguided youth of Kashmir valley to join hands and become the part of construction of New India of Narendra Modi’s dream to lay the foundation of New J&K also.
Maintaining that despite the Kashmir trouble, the State of J&K is fast on the path of progress, Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Nirmal Singh in his address said that laying the foundation stone of two new Medical Colleges is an indication in this regard.
He said Union Government led by Narendra Modi is keen for the development of the State and in this regard PM gave Rs 80,000 crore special package to the State. He said Union Health Minister J P Nadda after overruling the rules accorded sanction for two Medical Colleges to the State.
Maintaining that Kathua is a historical place, Nirmal Singh said Sikandar a great warrior of Greek when invaded India was defeated here on this land by the brave warriors of the area and he was injured here. The people of Kathua are offspring of that race, he added.
He said J&K under the guidance of Narendra Modi will move forward and attain the developmental path like other States of the country.
Making a scathing attack on opposition NC and Congress, he said canards are being spread through social media and misleading statements are being given to hoodwink the people. He said the NC-Congress are in desperation after being out of power as they looted the State over years together. He asked partymen to counter them and their false propaganda through social media.
Health and Medical Education Minister, Bali Bhagat while terming the laying of foundation stone of Medical Colleges a movement of rejoice said people are very much pleased today. He said they wanted that GMC be constructed here and in this regard many delegations came to us. He said “I also made efforts that GMC be built near town”. He said sanctioning of two AIIMS for J&K showed love of Prime Minister for this State.
He said the AIIMS will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 200 crore.
MoS Health and Medical Education, Asiea Naqash read the welcome address while MLA Kathua, Rajiv Jasrotia proposed vote of thanks.
He demanded construction of Auditorium and Women Hospital for Kathua. The function was attended by BJP MLAs, Jeevan Lal and Kuldeep Kumar, District president, Prem Nath Dogra and other party leaders while the function at Doda besides the CM Mehbooba Mufti, Union Health Minister, J P Nadda, Union MoS, Dr Jitendra Singh, Health Minister Bali Bhagat, Mos Health Asiea Naqash was attended by MLAs Shakti Parihar, Dileep Singh Parihar, Neelam Langeh, MLC Firdous Tak and district BJP president Mandeep Razdan and senior officers of Union Health Ministry and State Health Department.
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