Union Min Dharmendra Pradhan urges Odisha CM to send proposal for medical college

Under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakaram (PMJVK), Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday has written a letter urging Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to send a detailed proposal to the Centre. The proposal demands establishment of a medical college in Bhadrak district which lacks tertiary medical facilities in the state of Odisha. 

In the letter to Patnaik, the Minister has requested to send a proposal to the Union Ministry Affairs to set up a medical college in Bhadrak. 

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 The letter stated, "Bhadrak district does not have any tertiary medical facility as of now. Having a medical college in the district would be extremely helpful in providing the required medical facilities for people in and around the district."

The PMJVK is being implemented by the Ministry of Minority Affairs (MoMA). Under the scheme, the State may forward a duly approved proposal in consultation with the State Health Department to MoMA for setting up the medical college, Pradhan pointed out in his letter.

With the Central government bearing 60% of the capital cost of the proposed project, the other expenditure must be provided by the state which includes recurring expenditure and manpower. the letter further stated. 

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“I request you to give necessary instructions to the concerned, to send a detailed proposal for medical college in Bhadrak district to the Ministry of Minority Affairs under the PMJVK scheme,” the union minister wrote.

The Minister said the state may forward duly approved proposal in consultation with the state Health Department to MoMA for setting up the medical college.

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Earlier, the Centre in the Union Budget 2020-21 had announced that six new medical colleges will be set up in Odisha in each aspirational district on public-private partnership model. The state of Odisha has 10 aspirational districts, of which two medical colleges at Koraput and Balangir are already functional and the State Government has submitted proposals to set up two more medical colleges at Phulbani in Kandhamal and Bhawanipatna in Kalahandi. 

Image Credits: PTI

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