NE NEWS SERVICE
HYDERABAD, MARCH 11
A few weeks after the Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy requested the State government to allocate suitable land for setting up World Health Organization Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (WHO GCTM) in Hyderabad, the Union Cabinet has approved to establish it at Jamnagar in Gujarat.
This shocking decision taken by the Centre evoked sharp criticism from the people in the State. They alleged that the Centre was resorting to step-motherly treatment for Telangana in allocating various projects.
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Govt gives nod for WHO global centre for traditional medicine in Jamnagar
In a letter addressed to the Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao a few days ago, Kishan Reddy requested to allocate land for setting up WHO GCTM. In response, the Health Minister T Harish Rao, in a letter to Kishan Reddy, said that the Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, proposed that the WHO GCTM may be set up in unused land available on the premises of Indian Drugs and Pharmaceutical Limited (IDPL).
Harish Rao informed that the IDPL land was falling in the green zone due to which it will not be suitable for the proposed project. However, the State government will provide requisite land for the project at a suitable location free of cost.
Further, the State government will also extend all support in obtaining necessary clearances from agencies of the State government for setting up the project. On behalf of State government, Health, Medical and Family Welfare department secretary SAM Rizvi would be a single point of contact to coordinate the matters related to identification of land and facilitation of necessary clearances for the project.
Rizvi also wrote a letter to Ministry of Ayush Secretary Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha stating that the State government would extend all support in getting clearances. However, the Union Cabinet decided to set up the project in Jamnagar, ignoring the interests of the people in Telangana.
On coming to know about shifting the project to Jamnagar, several netizens criticised the Central government for its discrimination towards Telangana. In his tweet, a netizen Putta Vishnuvardhan Reddy said: “Hon’ble @kishanreddybjp garu, a Union Cabinet Minister or a Union Helpless Minister? 3 weeks ago, you posted that the WHO’s Global Centre for Traditional Medicine will be established in #Hyderabad. What transpired in 3 weeks that the Union Cabinet moved it to Gujarat?”
This was not the first time that the Centre rendered injustice to Telangana. The Central government did not allocate industrial corridors from Hyderabad-Bengaluru, Hyderabad-Warangal, Hyderabad-Vijayawada and Hyderabad-Nagpur along with the defense corridor. The defense corridor was shifted to Bundelkhand in Uttar Pradesh.
It failed to allocate sufficient funds for various projects in the State including Kakatiya Mega Textile Park in Warangal district.
