The first medical college established by Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), in Bangalore, has been declared open. ESIC also plans to open seven more medical colleges across the country and at least four is expected to commence by next year provided all approvals by Medical Council of India (MCI) is accorded, informed Minister for Labour and Employment, M Mallikarjun Kharge.
He has also requested the state governments to establish a ‘single window agency’ to grant all approvals like fire force clearance, electricity board approval and others under one-roof to projects which are of national importance and for the wellbeing of the public.
“Everybody is afraid of RTI. In the name of transparency, many development works are held up. Many officials are scared to take decisions. We should set a time frame to give clearances. Getting land allotment itself a major worry,” Kharge said. The labour ministry has spent Rs 3,000 crore on various projects being implemented by ESIC, he said, adding another medical college would soon come up in Gulbarga, his home district.
Inaugurating the Medical College, Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad informed that the government has planned to open three to four medical colleges in different parts of the country in the coming years. He asked entrepreneurs from the South to establish more medical colleges in the North and North-East to produce more number of doctors.
Chief Minister of Karnataka, Jagadish Shettar, promised his support to the ESIC projects and informed that his government has earmarked Rs 554 crore in its budget for workers’ welfare.
EH News Bureau