Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) has alleged that Union Minister of Culture and Tourism G. Kishan Reddy is spreading misinformation in the matter of sanction of new medical colleges to Telangana and on allotment of land to AIIMS Medical College coming up at Bibinagar.
Minister for Finance and Health T. Harish Rao said here on Thursday that that BJP leaders from the State including the Union Minister were creating confusion on many issues including purchase of paddy/rice, sanction of medical colleges, Central Government share in KCR kit scheme for new-born babies in government hospitals, value added tax on domestic gas cylinder and others.
Responding to the Union Minister’s posts on a social media platform that the State Government had not allotted land completely to AIIMS Medical College, Mr. Rao stated that buildings constructed for Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) at Bibinagar were handed over to AIIMS in 2015 itself and about 201.24 acres land of Kondamadugu and Rangapur villages in Bibinagar mandal were transferred to AIIMS Medical College in May 2020 and the Centre had acknowledged the transfer.
On Mr. Krishna Reddy’s remark that no effort was made by the State Government to get the new medical colleges sanctioned, Mr. Harish Rao reminded that the then Health Minister C. Laxma Reddy wrote to the then Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda in June 2015 and met him with request to upgrade at least some of the district hospitals to medical colleges. In November 2015, Mr. Nadda had replied that it was not possible.
Similarly, another letter was written to Union Health Minister Harshavardhan in August 2019 with the same plea but the reply was that it was not possible in the first and second phases but could be examined in the third phase.
However, of the 157 medical colleges sanctioned in the third phase not one was given to Telangana although 26 were sanctioned to Uttar Pradesh, 23 to Rajasthan, 13 to Madhya Pradesh, 12 to West Bengal and 11 to Tamil Nadu.
The State Government on its own had started four new government medical colleges in the first phase in addition to five established till 2014 and eight more were sanctioned in the second phase, which would start functioning from the next academic year. Another four medical colleges would come up in the third phase, Mr. Harish Rao explained adding that PG seats were also increased beyond 1,000 from 531.
Accusing the Centre of giving step-motherly treatment to Telangana, Mr. Rao said there was no movement to spare three acres out of 103 acres given to ICMR in the city for setting up National Centre for Disease Control, which was operating from temporary accommodation. He challenged the Union Minister to prove his allegation of Central share in KCR kits and VAT on domestic gas cylinders.
