Dr Balbir to meet Nadda for release of NHM funds on Sept 5
Punjab health and family welfare minister Dr Balbir Singh on Wednesday said he along with top officials of health department will meet Union minister JP Nadda regarding the release of pending grants under the National Health Mission (NHM) on September 5
Chandigarh : Punjab health and family welfare minister Dr Balbir Singh on Wednesday said he along with top officials of health department will meet Union minister JP Nadda regarding the release of pending grants under the National Health Mission (NHM) tomorrow (September 5).
Dr Singh gave this information during the question hour while responding the Jalandhar Cantonment MLA Pargat Singh’s question regarding primary health centres and community health centres closed in the state in the past two-and-a-half years and the stalemate with the central government over the release of funds totalling ₹1,750 crore. The minister will also make a request for setting up of a regional centre of National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) and the National Institute of Virology in Punjab. He will meet minister of state, AYUSH, Prataprao Jadhav.
Replying to the Congress member’s query, Dr Singh alleged that the Centre stopped funds because they were allergic to ‘Aam Aadmi Clinics’, which were adopted by the state government from Delhi model of governance. “Health is predominantly a state subject but they want their own branding for these clinics. We are for co-branding. The state also has rights,” he told the members.
The AAP government has repeatedly blamed the Union government for stalemate over the non-release of NHM grants totalling ₹650 crore and another ₹1,100 crore under special assistance by the Centre. The minister also informed the House that the state government had not closed any public health centre (PHC). “Of the 521 PHCs, 400 have been upgraded because these centres did not have any building or the structures were dilapidated. Testing facility and presence of medical staff have also been ensured,” he added. The minister further said that 34 hospitals lying closed during the last three governments were also being upgraded with funds from NABARD.
AAP MLA questions minister on ration cards
Payal MLA Manwinder Singh Giaspura asked food, civil supplies and consumer affairs minister Lal Chand Kataruchak tough questions regarding the lack of a policy and procedure for updation of rations cards in the state. In response to the AAP MLA’s query regarding the government policy for preparing new ration card and addition and deletion of members, the minister said any ration card holder can submit request to the field officer of the food and supplies department for deletion of existing family member’s name from his or her ration card. “As the Government of India has fixed a capping of 1.41 crore beneficiaries for the state under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and this capping has already exceeded, new cards/beneficiaries are not being made/added as of now. The policy regarding making new ration cards/addition of new members is under consideration with the department,” Kataruchak said.
Giaspura said there was no policy or procedure for addition and deletion of new members and the department officials were not updating ration cards. He also expressed dissatisfaction with the minister’s response.
Amritsar South MLA Inderbir Singh Nijjar said that steps should be taken to remove undeserving affluent families from ration cards so that poor families can be added.
Bajwa assails govt over RDF funds
Leader of Opposition (LoP) Partap Singh Bajwa hit out at the AAP government over the condition of village roads in the state. “Village roads are in a bad state.
The chief minister said the government will approach the Supreme Court regarding the pending Rural Development Fund (RDF) and get the money in minutes. No funds have been received in two-and-a-half years,” he said.
The Congress MLA said that Niti Aayog was the forum where the RDF issue could have been raised but the CM did not go for its meeting. “Alternative arrangements like NABARD need to be made. We cannot wait endlessly,” he said, while Dera Bassi MLA Kuljit Singh Randhawa’s question regarding the repair of the road from Mirpura village to Dhiremajra Panjokhra Sahib was being discussed.
Jalandhar MLA Avtar Singh Junior flagged the issue of lack of availability of safety gear and equipment for those working with the PSPCL as lineman and assistant lineman through sub-contract, citing the death of two such workers who were without protective gear and safety equipment and died while repairing the electricity lines in his constituency.
In his reply, the minister said that the staff was provided training and safety equipment. There were strict instructions regarding providing safety equipment, he added. The Congress MLA asked him about the action taken against sub-contractors, but did not get a specific reply on this.