Nearly Rs 5,000 cr to be spent on new medical facilities to remove regional imbalances
As per budget announcement and to fulfill promise made under the Andhra Pradesh re-organization Act 2014, the union cabinet chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi today gave its approval for setting up of All India Institutes of Medical Science (AllMS) at Manglagiri in Andhra Pradesh along with Nagpur in Maharashtra and at Kalyani in West Bengal.
The new AIIMS will be established under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojna (PMSSY). Of the total expenditure of Rs. 4,949 crore, the cost of the new AIIMS at Manglagiri in Andhra Pradesh will be to the tune of Rs. 1,618 crore, at Nagpur in Maharashtra of Rs.1,577 crore and at Kalyani in West Bengal of Rs. 1,754 crore.
The new AIIMS will be established as institutes of national importance for providing quality medical education, nursing education and also to provide tertiary healthcare facilities to the people of these locations. The proposed institution shall have a hospital with capacity of 960 beds. In addition, there shall be a teaching block, administrative block, AYUSH block, auditorium, nursing college, night shelter, hostel and residential facilities.
Setting up of these AIIMS will address regional imbalances in availability of affordable and reliable tertiary health care services in these regions. It will augment the facilities of quality medical education and would also address the shortfall of health care professionals in these regions.
The large populations of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra (Vidarbha) and West Bengal along with adjoining States and region will be beneficiary of this project.
Six new AIIMS under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojna (PMSSY) have been made functional. Also construction of AIIMS, Rae Barely is under progress.
National war memorial in Delhi
The cabinet also approved the construction of a National War Memorial and a National War Museum at Princess Park, near India Gate, New Delhi in memory of all Indian soldiers who have made the supreme sacrifice for the country post-independence.
The estimated cost of the project will be around Rs. 500 crore and the total time for completion of the entire project is estimated to be five years.
Post-Independence, more than 22,500 soldiers have made the supreme sacrifice in national interests and in defence of the sovereignty and integrity of the country. However, even after 69 years of Independence, no memorial to commemorate the martyrs has been constructed till date. With the present decision of the Cabinet a long pending demand of the armed forces has been redressed.
It has been decided that the prestigious project will be monitored by an empowered steering committee chaired by defence secretary and assisted by a dedicated project management team, to ensure that the proposed project is completed within scheduled time frame, Post commissioning, a management body will be formed for maintenance of the National War Memorial and Museum.
This government will be establishing a War Memorial and a Museum with a deep sense of gratitude to honour those brave soldiers, who laid down their lives. The memorial will promote a sense of patriotism in the minds of visitors, and will award an opportunity to citizens of this vast nation, to express their token sense of gratitude to the brave soldiers, who laid down their lives for the mother land.
MoU in sports with Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan
The cabinet also gave its ex-post facto approval for circulation of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Agreement on cooperation in the field of sports signed with Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. This MoU was signed in July, 2015.
Bilateral exchange programmes in the field of sports between India and Kazakhstan and India and Turkmenistan will help in expanding knowledge and expertise in the areas of sports science, sports medicine and coaching techniques. It would result in improvement in performance of Indian sportspersons in international tournaments.