The inauguration of the 300-bed Mother and Child Centre at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), deferred at the last minute, may now be done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, officials in the know of the matter indicated. However, no formal confirmation has been received so far.
The centre, built at an estimated cost of ₹485 crore, was earlier to be inaugurated by Union health and family welfare minister JP Nadda during PGIMER’s 39th convocation ceremony held on April 30.
Over the past month-and-a-half, the institute had been working on priority mode to complete the building, and the deputy director (administration) too was conducting inspections almost every day. “We had been working on war footing for the past month. No one had anticipated the last-minute changes,” said a senior faculty member.
Officials familiar with the matter said the Infosys Foundation, the corporate social responsibility (CSR) arm of Infosys, which contributed ₹150 crore towards the project and funded high-end equipment for the centre in 2024, wanted the facility to be inaugurated by the PM. An MoU had been signed between the foundation and PGIMER for the contribution. The foundation’s name has been engraved on the front wall of the building, while donor recognition plaques have been installed across floors, including at least four boards on the ground floor.
A senior PGI official said clarity is expected after May 4 or 5 on whether the PM will inaugurate the facility and whether the event will be held physically or virtually. “Till we get something in writing, nothing concrete can be said about the inauguration,” the official said, adding that several other pending inaugurations and foundation stone-laying ceremonies may also be clubbed with the event. These include the Advanced Neuroscience Centre, Medical Museum, critical care unit, and extension projects for the Advanced Eye Centre and other departments.
{{/usCountry}}A senior PGI official said clarity is expected after May 4 or 5 on whether the PM will inaugurate the facility and whether the event will be held physically or virtually. “Till we get something in writing, nothing concrete can be said about the inauguration,” the official said, adding that several other pending inaugurations and foundation stone-laying ceremonies may also be clubbed with the event. These include the Advanced Neuroscience Centre, Medical Museum, critical care unit, and extension projects for the Advanced Eye Centre and other departments.
{{/usCountry}}Earlier, Infosys Foundation had also funded the construction of a 300-bed serai (inn) at PGIMER in collaboration with the Red Cross Society at a cost of ₹22 crore. Sudha Murty, former chairperson of Infosys Foundation and wife of Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy, had attended its inauguration and said such facilities were aimed at helping poor patients travelling from far-off places for treatment.
Compared to the ₹22-crore Serai project, the Mother and Child Centre is a much larger initiative. The Phase-I construction cost alone stood at ₹209 crore.
Both PGIMER and Infosys Chandigarh office remained unavailable for comments despite several attempts to reach them.