AIIMS Promise by Modi Government: Out of 13 Approved in 4 Years, Work Hasn't Started On Even 1, Reveals RTI Query
The Bharatiya Janata Party had in its 2014 promised to "increase the number of medical and paramedical colleges to make India self-sufficient in human resources, and set up an All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) like institute in every state."
New Delhi, June 27: The Bharatiya Janata Party had in its 2014 promised to "increase the number of medical and paramedical colleges to make India self-sufficient in human resources, and set up an All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) like institute in every state." After completing 4 years in May this year, the Narendra Modi government boasted of having approved 13 AIIMS across the country. However, all of these are still on paper and work has not started on even a single such AIIMS so far, revealed a Right to Information (RTI) query filed by media channel India Today with Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
The response to the RTI filed by the group revealed that no funds have been allocated to five of the approved 13 AIIMS by the Modi government yet. It also reveals that no funds have been released to four of the approved AIIMS proposed in Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. (Also Read: To Remind Prime Minister Narendra Modi of His Hospital Promises, Odisha Man Embarks 1350 KM Journey to Delhi on Foot)
The response to the RTI query also reveals that no time frame has been fixed by the government for five AIIMS - Jammu, Kashmir, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat.
The Uttar Pradesh AIIMS in Gorakhpur was approved at a cost of Rs 1,011 crore and has to be completed by March 2020 as per the Government's plan on paper. However, only Rs 98.34 crore has been released for the project so far. Similarly, AIIMS in Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Maharashtra, which are also to be completed by October 2020, have seen marginal release of funds so far.
The Bihar AIIMS project was proposed in the 2015-16 Union Budget. However, even the site of the project has not been finalised yet. The same is the case with Tamil Nadu and Gujarat AIIMS.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 27, 2018 01:41 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).