| Jammu needs a full-fledged AIIMS, not a campus | | Going back on its written commitment | | Early Times Report
jammu, July 13: A report suggests that the BJP-led NDA Government is likely to announce a financial package of Rs 50,000 crore for Jammu & Kashmir, which will cover such sectors as "flood management, road connectivity, power, education, healthcare, drinking water supply, agriculture, tourism and industries". It also suggests that the announcement could be made in Delhi on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr.
The state needs money for infrastructural development and other vital sectors and it is obvious that people would welcome this financial package subject to the condition that the entire money is spent in a judicious manner and no one is allowed to mint money out of the reported financial package. Jammu & Kashmir is the second most corrupt state in India where even small time politicians have turned multi-millionaire and, hence, the people's concern is genuine.
However, what has disappointed the people of Jammu region is the report that the Union Government would set up two campuses of All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), one each in Jammu province and Kashmir Valley, instead of setting up a full-fledged AIIMS in Jammu.
The people of Jammu region have been protesting and demanding a full-fledged AIIMS in the region for more than two months now, and not for an AIIMS campus. They under the leadership of the AIIMS Coordination Committee (ACC) didn't go in for 72-hour-long bandh from June 21 onwards after two BJP Cabinet Ministers, including Deputy Chief Minister, on June 18 gave a written commitment to the ACC that they would obtain from the Government of India positive orders on the issue of AIIMS and that an AIIMS will be established in the region. It would be an act of treachery if the BJP, which is ruling the country and is a very important part of the ruling coalition in Jammu & Kashmir, goes back on its written commitment and sanctions a campus of AIIMS for Jammu region, which is known for very poor healthcare services.
The BJP can deliver the promise. For, if its government at the centre could think in terms of announcing a financial package of Rs 50,000 crore, it should not be difficult for it to earmark Rs 1600 crore out of it for the establishment of an AIIMS in Jammu. The BJP would be a gainer if it fulfills its written commitment and it would suffer huge political losses in Jammu region in case it goes back on it. The ball is in its court and it has to make a choice between the two available options. |
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