BJP government chokes funds for AIIMS in Telangana, while other States get full funds

The funds released so far would work out to around 11.4 per cent and it is anybody's guess how the Centre is putting the whole project on the backburner

Hyderabad: The Union Government’s complete disinterest in allotment of funds for development of infrastructure in non-BJP ruled States is very much evident. And the fund allocation made to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Bibinagar of Nalgonda district stands as the best example of the partisan attitude of Modi government on Telangana.

The prestigious AIIMS unit in Bibinagar was sanctioned by the Union Cabinet on December 17, 2018 at an estimated cost of Rs 1365.95 crore and the healthcare facility is to be completed by October 2024. But if one were to look at the fund allocations made, there is no way the facility could be fully operationalised by October next.

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The Union Government has so far released Rs 156.01 crore for the project out of Rs 1365.95 crore and considering the Centre’s propensity to turns a negligent eye towards the opposition-ruled states, the superspeciality health-care facility can never meet the deadline which is just 19 months away. The funds released so far would work out to around 11.4 per cent and it is anybody’s guess how the BJP government is putting the whole project on the backburner.

The Centre had proposed to set up 16 institutes in 2014, but construction of buildings was completed in respect of only seven institutes, while others are in various stages of completion. As per information provided by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to a query under RTI by Inaganti Ravi Kumar, only the institutes in Telangana and Tamil Nadu received smallest percentages of allocations. While AIIMS in Bibinagar got just Rs 156 crore (out of Rs 1365,95 crore) with expected date of completion in October 2024,, the institute in Tamil Nadu got only Rs 12.35 crore (estimated cost Rs 1977.8 crore).

Interestingly, the Centre was liberal in releasing funds to AIIMS centres in other States. While the AIIMS in Guwahati (Assam) got Rs 717.52 crore (estaimated cost Rs 1123 crore). Here are the allocations for other states: Vijaypur, Jammu – Rs 1100.78 crore (est cost – 1661); Awantipora, Kashmir – Rs 713.67 crore (Rs 1828 crore); Deoghar, Jharkhand – Rs 793.86 crore (Rs 1103 crore); Rajkot, Gujarat – Rs 622.80 crore (Rs 1195 crore); Madurai, Tamil Nadu – Rs 12.35 crore (Rs 1977.8 crore). No fund release took place in respect of units in Darbanga, Bihar (est cost Rs 1264 crore) and Manethi, Haryana (cost Rs 1299 crore) as the respective state governments have not provided the encumbrance free land.

Another interesting feature that could be observed in the statistics provided by the Centre is that four institutes were sanctioned in 2018. Among these AIIMS in Bilaspur (Himachal Pradesh) is almost complete with Rs 1407.93 crore being released out of Rs 1471.04 crore sanctioned, while the institute in Deoghar (Jharkhand) had the distinction of 86 per cent of construction being completed with Rs 793.86 crore being released (total Rs 1828 crore). The other two institutes are located in Telangana and Tamil Nadu.