Bhubaneswar: Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan shot off a letter to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik while urging him to send a proposal to the Ministry of Minority Affairs for establishment of a medical college in Bhadrak district under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakaram (PMJVK).
“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,” Pradhan wrote in the letter.
The Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakaram (PMJVK) is being implemented by the Ministry of Minority Affairs (MoMA). Under the scheme, the State may forward duly approved proposal in consultation with State Health Department to MoMA for setting up the medical college, Pradhan pointed out in his letter.
The Central Government will bear 60% of the capital cost of the project while recurring expenditure including manpower will be provided by States.
“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 added.
Recently, 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 mode.
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.