Dr Nipun Gupta
It would be blessing for Jammu region if we get an Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) medical and a dental college. Recently, ESIC has decided to open 20 new Medical Colleges in the country besides its existing medical and dental colleges. But no medical college was sanctioned for Jammu. We have always supported the decisions of the Govt. of India pertaining to J&K but feel betrayed when Jammu is ignored.
To support the creation of new 75000 medical seats in next 5 years as announced by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, during the Independence Day (2024) speech, the ESIC, on October 08, 2024, during its 194 meeting, approved 10 medical colleges, and again on April 22, 2025, the ESIC has decided to open 10 more medical colleges. But Jammu was left behind and no medical or dental college was approved for Jammu.
Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, on June 6, 2025, said that Jammu & Kashmir is the “crown jewel” of India and emphasised the Government’s unwavering focus on economic growth, infrastructure, and security. There is an industrial boom in J&K UT after the Modi Government abrogated the Article 370 on August 5, 2019. The number of industries, businesses, hotels and industrial workers has increased many folds in J&K. Lt. Governor of J&K, Mr Manoj Sinha, revealed that industrial investment proposals amounting to nearly Rs 60,000 crore are pending in the Union Territory. Speaking at a job fair in Jammu, recently, Mr Sinha stated that Rs 25,000 crore worth of projects are currently in various stages of implementation, with Rs 10,000 crore already operational and producing. The remaining Rs 15,000 crore in proposals are expected to launch within the year.
Citing such a huge scale of Industrial projects and investments coming in J&K, the Indian Dental Association (IDA) Jammu branch has already demanded that ESIC medical and dental college should immediately be approved for Jammu. The IDA Jammu has requested Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister for Labour & Employment and Youth Affairs & Sports, Govt. of India, to sanction an Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) medical and a dental college for Jammu. It is surprising that while the ESIC has approved the establishment of 20 new medical colleges in the country but no ESIC medical or dental college was sanctioned for Jammu.
Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) already has a model hospital in Bari Brahmana area of Jammu which can be upgraded to a new ESIC medical college. This will not only boost the local economy as envisioned by the Prime Minister, but jobs will also be provided to the residents of J&K. Moreover, the patients will get better medical facilities without being referred outside Jammu and the students will get an opportunity to pursue the higher education degrees like MBBS and BDS, even the specialisation at Jammu.
We are highly hopeful that being a doctor and son of soil, Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology; Earth Sciences and Minister of State for PMO, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, will definitely be able to persuade the Central Government to sanction an ESIC medical and a dental college for Jammu. This will be one of the precious gifts for the people of Jammu like IIT, AIIMS, IIM and many more, from the Modi Government and will be remembered by the generations to come.
(The author of this article is President, Indian Dental Association (IDA), Jammu)
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