Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi Saturday inaugurated a 100-seat government medical college and a 650-bed hospital at Phulbani, the district headquarters of Kandhamal.
The chief minister, during his one-day visit to Kandhamal, also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of 10 development projects worth about Rs 750 crore. This included the inauguration of five projects worth Rs 655 crore and the foundation stone laying of five other projects worth over Rs 94 crore.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Mukesh Mahaling, Kandhamal MP Sukant Kumar Panigrahi and Phulbani MLA Umcharan Mallick accompanied him.
Speaking on the occasion, Majhi said the inauguration of the medical college in Kandhamal district has fulfilled a long-awaited demand of the local people.
“This medical college in Kandhamal will also provide quality health service to the people of nearby districts like Nayagarh, Boudh and Kalahandi. This 100-seat medical college will help meet the doctor shortage in the state. This will also act as a powerful engine for local employment, research and economic development,” the CM said.
He said that the people of this region had to travel to Berhampur or Cuttack to avail better health care. Now, they will get a similar healthcare facility at their place. After graduating from this 100-seat college, the doctors are expected to work in this tribal-dominated district.
“Service to humanity is service to God,” the CM said and advised the medical students to make this college a leading institution in the field of healthcare.
The chief minister also said his government has introduced the ‘Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana’ in Odisha, an opportunity denied to the people during the previous government.
Over 3.5 crore people of the state will be able to get free healthcare in 29,000 private medical facilities in the country. This apart, the state government’s ‘Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana’ is being implemented as a single health service scheme.
More than 80 per cent of people of the state will get benefits from these health service schemes, Majhi said adding that the state has made a budgetary provision of Rs 23,635 crore for healthcare alone, which is 8.2 per cent of the total budget.
This is the highest in the history of the state, he said.
After this, the chief minister inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of 10 different development projects worth about Rs 750 crore in Phulbani for the development of the district.
These include rural drinking water projects, mega piped water supply projects, school infrastructure improvement, tourism centres, health centres, road construction projects, Mission Shakti Bazaar, Multipurpose Community Centers and other government infrastructure.
Referring to the inauguration and foundation stone laying of other projects, Majhi said that his government has been working continuously to provide basic amenities like good education, health, tourism, infrastructure, transportation etc. to the people of the district, having a tribal population of 54 per cent.
He said many industrial projects will be set up in Kandhamal district in the coming days. This will double the industrial development of the district and bring ample opportunities for employment and employment of the people of the district.
The chief minister also said that the state government is paying special attention to the development of tourism in Daringbadi, the paradise of natural beauty in Odisha.
“A project worth Rs 18 crore has been approved and tenders have been invited for the development of tourism in Daringbadi and Rs 4.5 crore has been approved for the development of Putudi waterfall,” Majhi said.
Apart from this, other tourist destinations in Kandhamal will also be developed, he said.
PTI
