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T’gana guv and state spar over medical colleges’ issue
Governor, who is constitutional head of the state, on Sunday had posted a message on Twitter, appreciating the initiative taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for constructing one medical college in every district across the country under PMSSY.
Telangana governor Tamilisai Soundarrajan and the state government were involved in a spat over state medical colleges applying with the Centre.
Soundarrajan on Sunday accused the state government of failing to apply with the central government for medical colleges in the state under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY).
Hitting back, state health minister Thanneeru Harish Rao on Monday accused the governor of misrepresenting facts. “Fact is gross injustice was meted out to Telangana in sanctioning of medical colleges...,” he tweeted.
Governor, who is constitutional head of the state, on Sunday had posted a message on Twitter, appreciating the initiative taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for constructing one medical college in every district across the country under PMSSY.
“Amazing infrastructure to match international standards from honb @PMOIndia GoI funded visionary schemes PMSSY one medical college in every district across Nation. Such facilities will add on to promote medical tourism potential in future,” (sic) she tweeted.
Responding to a query by a follower in the Twitter thread about denying such medical colleges to Telangana under PMSSY, the governor blamed it on the Telangana government for failing to apply for the same on time.
Quoting Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Tamilisai tweeted: “When every state applied for new med colleges under PMSSY scheme Telangana failed to apply in time as stated by union Health Minister @MansukhMandaviya. You sleep and wake up late and ask. TN got 11 medical colleges in a single year.”
Reacting strongly to the governor’s comments, Rao tweeted: “Fact is gross injustice was meted out to Telangana in sanctioning of medical colleges despite repeated pleas from State government to the Centre. Out of 157 medical colleges approved by the Centre, TS got zero. Union govt discriminated & deceived TS in all three phases of allotment of colleges (sic).”
He was referring to Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s statement that “medical colleges were not allotted to Telangana as the state government had proposed districts which already had medical colleges”. “One minister said Telangana didn’t make any request; another said the government wanted colleges in Khammam and Karimnagar and the Centre didn’t give a nod because private colleges are already set up. Who is misleading people?” he asked.
The health minister said chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had set up 12 medical colleges with state’s own funds in tune with the vision of medical colleges in each district. “Telangana tops the country with 19 MBBS seats per lakh population. Instead of hurling abuses, the Centre and the governor should appreciate the Telangana government for opening colleges in a single day,” he said.
He said it would be a great help to the people of Telangana if the Raj Bhavan “reoriented its focus and pressured the Union government to fulfil the promises of setting up a tribal university and a rail coach factory as promised in the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014”.
Rao also pointed out the discrimination shown by the Centre against Telangana in sanctioning funds to All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bibinagar in Yadadri Bhongir district on the outskirts of Hyderabad. “While 52% of estimated funds were sanctioned to AIIMS in Gujarat, Telangana got only 11.4% even when both the projects were sanctioned in 2018,” he said.
Out of ₹1,365 crore proposed for Bibinagar AIIMS, the Centre had released only ₹156 crore till date, he said.
