Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually laid the foundation stone of a 50-bed Critical Care Block (CCB) of the Manali civil hospital on the occasion of the 9th Ayurveda Day yesterday.
Former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Jai Ram Thakur, Mandi MP Kangana Ranaut and former minister Govind Singh Thakur were present in the programme held in Manali.
Former Chief Minister said that the Central Government is cooperating in every way to make the medical system in Himachal advanced and today Himachal has received the gift of schemes worth Rs 250 crore from the PM on the occasion of Dhanteras.
The LoP said that Manali is a world famous tourist destination. He said, “About Rs 24 crore will be spent on this Critical Care Block, including Rs 6 crore on the equipment.” He added that the foundation stone of units worth Rs 178 crore was also laid in AIIMS, which includes a lecture theatre hall, a 204-bed boys hostel and a 334-bed girls hostel.
The leader said “Modi ji has given not one but many big gifts to this hill state in the health sector, which include AIIMS in Bilaspur and several units worth crores of rupees in six medical colleges. This month, the Cancer Modern Medical Block and the new Trauma Centre were inaugurated in the IGMC. I express my heartfelt gratitude to the PM, Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda and the Central Government for giving such big gifts in the health sector to the state.”
Thakur alleged, “Our government ran one scheme after another but the current government either terminated them or stopped providing budget. The Congress government could not move even an inch forward in two years and despite getting crores from the Centre, the Chief Minister does not even say a word of gratitude.”
Local MLA Bhuvneshwar Gaur greeted the guests and thanked the Chief Minister and the Central Government. He said, “The proposal for this important project was sent by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu to the Central Government in the year 2023 after approval of which its foundation stone was laid today.”