Center being asked by Odisha to release funds to set up new medical colleges in the state

Odisha government has asked the center to release its share of funds for setting up five new medical colleges in the state. Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday wrote a letter to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to release center’s share of funds for the same. Patnaik wrote,” A revised estimate of Rs 2,450.90 crore for the five proposed medical colleges has been submitted to the ministry of health for capital expenditure, equipment and manpower. The response of the ministry is awaited.”

Under the centrally sponsored scheme five new government colleges would be set up in Odisha at a cost of Rs 189 crore each. The ration of sharing of the cost for the project between the center and the state is 75:25. So far the central government has released only Rs 55 crore in three installments.

Mr. Naveen Patnaik said,” If the required funds are not released to the state in time, I am afraid, construction of these five new medical colleges would be delayed leading to continued shortage of doctors in the state.”

He also stated that he had made a request to the health minister J.P. Nadda in September 2015 but without any results. According to Patnaik the setting up of these colleges would address the problem of acute shortage of doctors in the state.

He said, “Admission in the new medical colleges for MBBS students has been scheduled to commence from 2017-18 academic session. My government on its part has made adequate budget provision for the project despite state’s financial crunch.”