Kharge has warned the government against harassing him any further on the issue
Congress leader in Lok Sabha, M Mallikarjun Kharge
Kalaburagi: Launching a broadside against the Centre for the delay in starting work on the Employees State Insurance Corporation’s (ESIC) Hospital here, Congress leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge has warned the government against harassing him any further on the issue.
Speaking at a function organised here on Saturday, Mr Kharge remarked “I cannot any more bear the harassment and politicisation of the issue. Don’t attempt to strangulate a newborn baby. I’m not going to allow the project to languish as this has come after a big struggle for getting special status for the region”.
Rejecting the view that he had brought the mega project here to make a name for himself, Mr Kharge wondered what was the problem if there were not adequate number of insured persons (IPs) in Kalaburagi. “Are there no IPs in neighbouring districts of Karnataka as well as Maharashtra and Telangana? The ESIC rules have been amended to allow non-IPs as well to avail the facility. There is as much as Rs 42,000 crore in ESIC’s kitty, a part of which could be utilised to run the medical college and hospital. Moreover this year’s contribution from the state to ESIC fund is over Rs 1200 crore. Of this the state has got back only Rs 180 crore as against the provision of Rs 1,000 crore. What prevents ESIC from utilising the funds for the project where the IP’s children get education?, he asked. Expressing his happiness over the move by Jayadeva Institute of Cardiology to establish its regional centre here, Mr Kharge hoped that in the days to come Kalaburagi would become a “medical and health hub”. Medical Education Minister Dr Sharan Prakash Patil new government run medical colleges would start their courses at Kalaburagi, Koppal and Gadag from this academic year.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
Next Story
