Cabinet nod soon for Madurai AIIMS: Min

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:13.10.2018

Clearing the air over setting up of an All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Madurai, Union minister for health and family welfare J P Nadda said the Union cabinet would soon give its nod for the project following which construction would begin.

Nadda told reporters that a pre-investment project report of nearly ₹1,200 crore had been submitted to the expenditure finance committee for clearance on September 24. It will be sent for final nod by the cabinet. “Some people have alleged that financial support has not been given. They should understand that there is a procedure in which institutions like AIIMS come up. The project report has been circulated to the expenditure finance committee which will soon clear it. Cabinet will then give its final nod,” he said.

He also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be invited for the ceremony to lay the foundation for the construction of AIIMS at Thoppur near Madurai.

Earlier, an RTI application filed by an activist had revealed the project had not been cleared by the cabinet and the expenditure finance committee.

The minister also said that the ₹650crore integrated vaccine complex coming up in Chengalpet and the super specialty blocks built at medical colleges at Madurai, Thanjavur and Tirunelveli will also be inaugurated soon.

“Building work has been completed and the equipment installed are being validated. Once it is complete, the complex, which will be a vaccine hub for the country, will be inaugurated. The Tamil Nadu chief minister and I will soon fix a date for inaugurating the super specialty blocks in three medical colleges,” he said.

Union minister for health and family welfare J P Nadda speaks to reporters in Chennai on Friday