Centre clears an ‘AIIMS’ for Bundelkhand

“The Union health minister today gave his nod to a proposal to develop an AIIMS-like institute under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojna. The details of the projects are yet to be finalised,” said Union Minister of State for Rural Development Pradeep Jain,who is Lok Sabha member from Jhansi.

Asked about the proposed central agriculture university,Jain said,“We had been requesting the Uttar Pradesh government to provide land for this university,but they did not do so. Since ample land is available with the Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute,it can be utilised for the purpose. If all goes well,the university could become operational from the next session,” Jain said.

The Centre had planned to develop eight institutes across the country on the lines of Delhi-based All India Institute of Medical Sciences. In the first phase,six such institutes were approved for Patna,Raipur,Bhopal,Bhubaneswar,Jodhpur and Rishikesh. Construction work on some of these institutes has already started. Early this year,the Union Cabinet approved two more such institutes in the second phase,one each in West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh.

The estimated cost of each institute was expected to be around Rs 823 crore. While the institute in West Bengal would be located at Raiganj in North Dinajpur district,the Centre wanted the institute in UP at Rae Bareli,which is Lok Sabha constituency of Congress president Sonia Gandhi.