PM Modi lays foundation stone for Darbhanga AIIMS and other projects in Bihar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 13 laid the foundation stone for Darbhanga All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) and other projects in Bihar. This will be the second AIIMS in Bihar. AIIMS Patna was inaugurated in 2012.

At an event organised in Darbhanga, Modi inaugurated various development projects across different sectors including health, railways, roads, petroleum and natural gas worth around Rs 12,100 crore in Bihar.

Addressing the gathering, Modi said the new projects would make life of the people in the state easier. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and union ministers Chirag Paswan and Jitan Ram Manjhi attended the event.

Modi praised Nitish Kumar for his efforts in lifting Bihar out from the so-called jungle raj.

A significant step has been taken today to realise the dream of AIIMS in Darbhanga which would bring big changes in the health sector of Bihar, the Prime Minister said.

He informed that the regions of Mithila, Kosi and Tirhut apart from areas of West Bengal and nearing regions would benefit from this, while also catering to the patients visiting India from Nepal.

He said that multiple new opportunities for employment and self-employment would also be created. The Prime Minister congratulated the people of Mithila, Darbhanga and entire Bihar for the development projects of today.

Noting that the highest share of population in India comprises the poor and the middle-class people, the Prime Minister remarked that the people of these sections were most impacted by diseases, which leads to huge out-of-pocket expenditure for the treatment. Modi remarked that he was well aware of how the entire family would be distraught if someone in the family was down with an illness.

He added that situation of the medical infrastructure was very poor in the past due to dearth of hospitals and doctors, over-priced medicines and less diagnostic & research centers. The Prime Minister remarked that the progress of the nation was stalled due to the poor health infrastructure and difficulties faced by the poor. Hence, he added, the old thought and approach were changed.

The Prime Minister underlined the holistic approach adopted by the government with regard to health. He outlined the focus areas of the government and said that the first focus area is prevention from diseases; secondly proper diagnosis of ailment; thirdly availability of free or low cost treatment and medicines; fourth to equip smaller towns with better medical facilities; and fifth expansion of technology in the health sector.

AIIMS Darbhanga

In a major boost to health infrastructure in the region, Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of AIIMS, Darbhanga worth over Rs 1260 crore. It will have a super-specialty hospital/AYUSH block, Medical College, Nursing College, night shelter and residential facilities among others. It will provide tertiary health care facilities to the people of Bihar and nearby regions.

“Darbhanga AIIMS would produce many new doctors for the service of Bihar and the nation,” Modi said.

The Prime Minister also touched upon enabling higher education in mother tongue and said that it has been his biggest tribute towards the dreams of Karpuri Thakur ji. In the last 10 years, the Prime Minister informed, 1 lakh new medical seats have been added and efforts are underway to add another 75,000 seats in the next 5 years. He further added that the option to study medicine in Hindi and other regional languages has also been created.

Cancer care facility at Muzaffarpur

Emphasising the Government’s efforts to fight cancer, Modi noted the cancer facility being constructed at Muzaffarpur will benefit the cancer patients of Bihar. He added that this single facility would cater to the needs of various kinds of cancers and patients need not have to travel to Delhi or Mumbai. The Prime Minister was pleased to announce the availability of a new eye hospital in Bihar soon. He added that he had requested the Kanchi Kamakoti Shri Shankarcharya ji for an eye hospital in Bihar like the recently inaugurated Sankara eye hospital in Varanasi and the work was in progress.

Road and Rail projects

A special focus of projects is boosting connectivity in the region through new projects in both road and rail sectors. Prime Minister inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of multiple National Highway projects worth around Rs 5,070 crore in Bihar.

He inaugurated the four lane Galgalia-Araria section of NH-327E. This corridor will provide an alternate route from Araria on East-West Corridor (NH-27) to neighbouring state West Bengal at Galgalia. He also inaugurated two Rail over bridges (RoB) on NH-322 and NH-31. The Prime Minister inaugurated a major bridge on NH-110 at Bandhuganj that will connect Jehanabad to Biharsharif.

Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of eight National Highway projects which include construction of two lane road with paved shoulders from Ramnagar to Rosera, Bihar-West Bengal border to Manihari section of NH-131A, Hajipur to Bachhwara via Mahnar and Mohiuddin Nagar, Sarwan-Chakai section, among others. He also laid the foundation stone of Raniganj Bypass on NH-327E; Katoria, Lakhpura, Banka and Panjwara bypasses on NH-333A; and four lane link road from NH-82 to NH-33.

Prime Minister dedicated and laid the foundation stone of railway projects worth over Rs. 1740 crore. He laid the foundation stone of Sonenagar Bypass Railway line from Chiralapothu to Bagha Bishunpur in Aurangabad district of Bihar worth over Rs 220 crore.

He also dedicated to the nation, railway projects worth over Rs 1520 crore. These include Gauge conversion of Jhanjharpur-Laukaha Bazar Rail section, Darbhanga Bypass Railway Line which will ease out the railway traffic congestion at Darbhanga Junction, Doubling of Railway Line projects which will facilitate better regional connectivity, among others.

The Prime Minister also flagged off train services in the Jhanjharpur-Laukaha Bazar section. Introduction of MEMU train services in the section will facilitate easier access to jobs, education, and healthcare facilities in nearby towns and cities.

Jan Aushadhi Kendras at Railway stations

The Prime Minister dedicated 18 Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Kendras at various railway stations across India. These will ensure availability of affordable medicines at railway stations for the passengers. It will also promote awareness and acceptance of generic medicines thereby reducing the overall expenditure on healthcare.

Piped Natural Gas in Bihar

Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of multiple initiatives in the petroleum and natural gas sector worth over Rs 4,020 crore. In line with the vision of bringing Piped Natural Gas (PNG) to households and providing clean energy options to commercial and industrial sectors, Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for development of City Gas Distribution (CGD) network in five major districts of Bihar at Darbhanga, Madhubani, Supaul, Sitamarhi and Sheohar by Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited. He also laid the foundation stone for a Bitumen manufacturing unit of Barauni Refinery of Indian Oil Corporation Limited that will produce bitumen domestically helping reduce reliance on imported bitumen.

Classical language status to Pali

Underlining the need for conservation of languages, the Prime Minister informed that Pali language, which scripts the teaching of Lord Buddha and Bihar’s glorious past, has been conferred the status of a Classical language. He reminded that it was the present government that included Maithili language in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution of India. “Maithili has been accorded the second language of the state in Jharkhand”, he added.

Watch the full video of PM Modi’s address at Darbhanga