E-Paper
Mohalla Clinics, Farishtey: Delhi govt schemes for Punjab
₹4,731 crore have been allocated for health this year, and the finance minister claimed it is 23.8% increase over that of the budget for the previous fiscal (2021-22).
The Delhi government’s flagship schemes Mohalla Clinic and Farishtey remained the core thrust of the Bhagwant Mann government’s first budget, when it came to the health sector.
₹4,731 crore have been allocated for health this year, and the finance minister claimed it is 23.8% increase over that of the budget for the previous fiscal (2021-22).
Finance minister Harpal Cheema said the state government proposes to establish Mohalla/Pind Clinics in order to decentralise the public health services to the grassroot level.
As per budget announcement, this year the government plans to establish 117 Mohalla Clinics for which an initial allocation of ₹77 crore is being proposed. As many as 75 of these will become operational by August 15.
The state government has announced yet another scheme on the pattern of Delhi to deal with casualties in road accidents due to the dearth of timely medical help.
Cheema said the AAP government is extremely sensitive to the cause and would try to make sure that anyone who suffers from a road accident is saved.
For this, a scheme on the pattern of ‘Farishtey’ scheme in New Delhi would be launched in Punjab whereby anyone can take a road accident victim(s) and get them admitted to any hospital.
The sufferers of road accidents will be given free treatment and the entire cost would be borne by the government and the helper would also be felicitated.
Estate Management Unit
The government proposes to establish Estate Management Unit (EMU), which will exclusively look into upkeep and maintenance of the basic sub-structure needs of hospitals/health facilities and remove such glitches in a timebound manner.
The unit would initially be run by the state government and subsequently be handed over to a specialised agency involved in professional management of such facilities.
The government has also announced to set up two superspecialty hospitals, in Patiala and Faridkot, in the coming two years. Similarly, three more superspecialty hospitals will be opened by 2027, claims the budget document.
Allocations for police
While ₹108 crore has been allocated for modernisation of police in order to strengthen the force and equip them with latest gadgets, technology and tools to tackle crime, the government has also proposed to set up cyber-crime control rooms in all districts with an outlay of ₹30 crore.
The government has claimed that during its tenure, the entire state would be covered with CCTV network to check crime and nab criminals. To start with, ₹5 crore has been proposed for installation of CCTV cameras at Mohali. A modern district jail will also be set up in Mohali, for which 17.5-acre land has already been identified at Kurara village.
