Pradhan seeks medical college in Bhadrak, minority girls''

Union Petroleum and Steel minister Dharmendra Pradhan has urged the Centre for setting

up a hostel for girl students belonging to minority communities under a central scheme.

In a letter to Union Minority Affairs minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Pradhan highlighted the need for establishing the

hostel for minority girl students studying in senior school or colleges in Bhubaneswar.

He also requested Naqvi to issue instructions for making provisions to cover major cities, besides the state

capital, under the PMJVK scheme so that priority sectors are made available in the metropolitan cities as well.

Presently the Ministry of Minority Affairs (MoMA) sanctions projects under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas

Karyakram (PMJVK) only in identified Minority Concentration Areas where there is more than 25 per cent minority population

and the area is relatively backward in socio-economic and basic amenities parameters as compared to the national

average, he said. "I would implore you to consider allowing projects

like girls hostels, residential schools, ITIs, skill centres, in locations where students migrate to in search of better

facilities for education, skill, health facilities," the minister said in the letter, which was released to the media

on Wednesday. The Union minister also urged Odisha Chief Minister

Naveen Patnaik to immediately send a detailed proposal to the Centre for setting up a medical college in Bhadrak district as

the area lacks tertiary medical facility. The state should ask the Centre to set up the medical

college under the PMJVK scheme, Pradhan said in a letter to the chief minister.

"The district of Bhadrak does not have any tertiary medical facility as of now. Having a medical college in the

district would be extremely helpful in providing requisite medical facilities to the people in and around Bhadrak," he

said. The PMJVK provides for creation of community assets,

and health is one of the priority sectors under the scheme, Pradan said.

The Central government bears 60 per cent of the capital cost of the project while recurring expenditure,

including manpower, will be provided by the states, he said. PTI SKN

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