NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday laid the foundation for the All-India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) in Bihar’s Darbhanga and other projects worth Rs 12,100 crore.
Showering praises on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the PM took a dig at the RJD’s tenure, pointing to the dismal healthcare facilities in the state. He said Kumar had pulled the state out of the era of ‘jungle raj’. “No praise is too high for this achievement,” Modi said. A Bihar BJP leader said Modi’s visit to Bihar was touted to show that the ‘double engine’ government was showing progress. The state goes to polls next year.
“Here in Bihar, before Nitishji came to power, there was little concern for the plight of the poor. People had no choice but to endure illnesses in silence. How could our country progress under such circumstances? It was crucial to change both the outdated mindset and the old approach,” he said.
In the last 10 years, Modi said 1 lakh new medical seats had been added and efforts were underway to add another 75,000 seats in the next 5 years. He added that the option to study medicine in Hindi and other regional languages had also been created. The AIIMS-Darbhanga project costs Rs 1,264 crore and will be the second AIIMS in Bihar. The project will be completed in three years and will also benefit patients from neighbouring Nepal.
Modi also said that a cancer facility being constructed in Muzaffarpur would cater to the needs of various kinds of cancers and patients would not have to travel to Delhi or Mumbai. He added that he had requested Kanchi Kamakoti Shri Shankarcharyaji for an eye hospital in Bihar. Modi also inaugurated 25 other projects related to rail, highway, health and energy. He also dedicated 18 ‘jan aushadhi kendras’ at railway stations across the country which will ensure the availability of affordable medicines at railway stations for passengers. Foundation stones of railway projects worth Rs 1,740 crore, national highway projects worth Rs 5,070 crore and initiatives in the petroleum and natural gas sector worth Rs 4,020 crore were also laid.
Meanwhile, Bihar CM and JD(U) Nitish Kumar took everyone by surprise at the AIIMS launch event when he tried to touch PM Modi’s feet. A video of the incident has gone viral, in which Kumar is seen bowing to touch Modi’s feet in the third such instance this year. Modi stopped Nitish from touching his feet and was seen shaking his hands.