BHUBANESWAR: On 30th August this year, Anil Agarwal, the Chairman of Vedanta Resources Plc. visited the Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik at the State Secretariat in Bhubaneswar.
After the brief meeting, the CM announced that the Government had decided to set up a medical college in Kalahandi to provide accessible healthcare facilities to the people. It would be a Government medical college and the infrastructure would be provided by the Vedanta group.
यह भी पढ़िएः अनिल अग्रवाल, कालाहांडी में मेडिकल कालेज खोलने देंगे 100 करोड़ रूपए
The Chairman promised to partake in the development initiatives benefitting the people who really needed it in and around the region. He said that there is much necessity of the medical college being set up and he would mobilize an amount of Rs 100 crores for building the infrastructure required for the college which will be managed and run by the Government.
Kalahandi and the surrounding districts are affected by poverty and malnutrition. Not much has changed for the people who still clamor for basic healthcare amenities and travel hundreds of miles in search of good hospitals. Recent incidents have necessitated the establishment of such institutions which will find permanent solutions to the problems of the local folks. Such an institution will help focus on education and healthcare at the same time, two areas which are of prime importance in Kalahandi.
The Sardar Rajas Medical College Hospital & Research Centre, set up by a private promoter in 2013, was shut down last year as the Medical Council of India withdrew recognition, citing lack of infrastructure. After this debacle, the promise of a government run medical college has brought a ray of hope in the lives of the local residents.
Ajay Mishra, Convener of Kalahandi Development Forum, has lauded the commitment of Chief Minister and Vedanta’s Chairman. “Its high time Kalahandi’s development deserved special notice from the government.
All efforts to help the people of Kalahandi are welcome and I sincerely thank our CM, Naveen Patnaik and Anil Agarwal for taking this decision. The medical college is going to come to the service of thousands from near and far.”
The company has taken a strong stance towards the development of the region through a series of CSR activities. The DAV Vedanta School in the foothills of Niyamgiri is already providing quality education to 900 students, 200 among them being first generation tribals. The mid-day meal scheme of the government which provides nutritious meal to above 18000 students in the region is also being assisted by the company which has built a kitchen facility at a cost of Rs 9 crores.
Twitter Handle: @AnilAgarwal
