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{NHM funds} Mann flays Centre for withholding ₹1,000 cr
Chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday alleged that the Union government has withheld ₹1,000 crore of the state under the National Health Mission (NHM).
Chandigarh
Chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday alleged that the Union government has withheld ₹1,000 crore of the state under the National Health Mission (NHM).
After flagging off 58 hi-tech ambulances for the state, Mann said the state government is committed to impart quality health services to the state but the Union government is continuously hatching conspiracies to deny these to Punjabis. “The stalling of grants totalling ₹1,000 crore under the National Health Mission is a condemnable move. The non-BJP governments are being harassed by the Union government on one pretext or another,” he alleged.
The CM said this step-motherly treatment with Punjab is unwarranted and reflects the myopic mindset of the Centre towards the state. He said this highhandedness of the central government will not be tolerated and Punjabis will give a befitting reply to it.
Replying to a query regarding the boycott of the Niti Aayog meeting by him, Mann said that these meetings are a futile exercise as states do not even get the proper time to flag the issues of their concern. “Due to this reason only, we decided to boycott the meeting of the Niti Aayog this time. Nothing fruitful had come out of the meeting of the Niti Aayog last time also,” he added.
Flags off 58 new ambulances
Flagging off 58 new ambulances equipped with the latest medical equipment, Mann said with this addition, the ambulance fleet size has reached 325 in the state.
“These ultra-modern ambulances have been mandated to reach the needy patients within 15 minutes in urban areas and 20 minutes in rural areas,” he said. The CM said his government was pumping in a lot of resources and funds to upgrade the health sector in the state to ensure that people get access to quality health services. “Medical colleges are coming up in Hoshiarpur, Sangrur and Kapurthala,” he said. Mann was accompanied by health minister Dr Balbir Singh.
