PM Modi inaugurates AIIMS, Bilaspur, says Himachal can be medical tourism hub
Blames biased mindset of previous govts for lopsided development of hill states; former CMs Shanta Kumar, Prem Kumar Dhumal skip rally
In a veiled attack on the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that the party’s “vikrut mansikta (biased mindset)” had led to the lopsided development of India, particularly hill states, for decades.
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“It was due to this mindset that a large part of our country lived in deprivation and our hill states lacked even basic amenities. Why should good roads, education and health institutions exist only in big cities?” Modi said at a rally at Bilaspur in poll-bound Himachal Pradesh after inaugurating the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
The Prime Minister also inaugurated the Hydro Engineering College at Bandla and laid foundation stones of the Nalagarh Medical Device Park and the four-laning project of the Pinjore-Nalagarh highway (NH-105).
“In the last eight years, however, the country has left that mindset and is marching ahead with a new and modern thinking,” Modi said of the period he has been at the helm.
The Prime Minister said that he was fortunate to have got the opportunity to dedicate projects worth several thousand crores related to health, education and infrastructure to the people of Himachal Pradesh.
Says development thanks to double-engine govt
He said if Himachal had got some big projects, the credit went to the people of the state who not only voted for the BJP at the Centre but also in the state. “It is the power of your vote that Himachal Pradesh has got an AIIMS, Atal Tunnel and now a Medical Device Park,” he said. “I am lucky to be part of the developmental journey of Himachal, the land where I worked several years ago,” said Modi.
He said for long, the state had only one university and people here were dependent on Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital, Shimla, and the Tanda medical college for specialised health services.
“It was a compulsion for people of the hills to head to Chandigarh or Delhi to seek education, employment, and medical treatment,” he said.
Calling himself the son of Himachal Pradesh, PM Modi said that in eight years, the double-engine government has helped the state scale new heights of development and today it has an IIT, an IIIT, an IIM and a Central University.
“Earlier, the government would lay the foundation stone of the project and forget it after the elections. Have you ever seen a foundation stone being laid and the inauguration of a project in the same government?” he asked the audience. “It is happening in our government. This is our style of functioning and it has given a new identity to India,” he said.
Crucial role in ‘rashtra and jeevan raksha’
The PM said that Himachal Pradesh played a crucial role in ‘rashtra raksha (national security)’ and now with the newly inaugurated AIIMS at Bilaspur, it would also play a pivotal role in ‘jeevan raksha (life-saving)’, too.
Modi said that Medical Device Park and Bulk Drug Park would expand Himachal’s role in the medical sector and the state has a vast potential for medical tourism.
He said schemes launched by the Centre have benefited women the most. “More than 50% beneficiaries of the Ayushman Bharat are women and similarly Swachh Bharat Yojana, Ujjwala, Matruvandana, free sanitary pads scheme and Har Ghar Jal Abhiyan have empowered women,” the PM said.
He also appreciated chief minister Jai Ram Thakur-led state government for the speedy and effective implementation of Centre-sponsored schemes, expanding the social security network and being the first state to achieve 100% Covid vaccination.
Nadda terms it historic day for state
Speaking on the occasion, BJP national president JP Nadda termed it a historic day for Bilaspur and Himachal Pradesh.
“For decades, we got nothing. We wouldn’t have dreamt of having an AIIMS in our town. We saw a ray of hope when the people elected the BJP government in 2014,” said Nadda. He said the people of Bilaspur were displaced not once but many times. “It is Narendra Modi who took care of us and today we have the AIIMS and several development projects,” he added.
Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, chief minister Jai Ram Thakur, Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Union minister and Hamirpur MP Anurag Thakur, state BJP president Suresh Kashyap, MPs Kishan Kapoor, Indu Goswami, and Sikander Kumar were present on the occasion. However, two senior BJP leaders and former chief ministers Shanta Kumar and Prem Kumar Dhumal were conspicuous by their absence.
