NE NEWS SERVICE
VILLUPURAM, FEB 10
Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi MP D. Ravikumar representing Villupuram Lok Sabha constituency expressed his concern over reduction of allocation of grants to the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) in Puducherry in the union budget for the year 2020-21 here on Monday.
In a statement issued here, the MP said that the Centre had been constantly bringing down the allocation of funds for JIPMER which only exposed the Centre’s bias against the institution. He called upon the Puducherry government to raise its voice against the Centre’s attitude.
While in 2019-20, JIPMER was allocated Rs. 1100 crore and it had spent Rs. 1053.48 crore, in the present budget the allocation has been brought down by Rs. 100 crore, he said.
Ravikumar said that Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, another centrally funded hospital had been earmarked Rs. 1426.53 crore in the current budget. The institute was allocated Rs. 1500 crores in the 2019-20 budget and it had spent Rs. 260 crore more than the allocated funds.
He charged the Centre with showing scant regard for the development of JIPMER by bringing down its allocation of grants every year.
JIPMER has been catering to the health requirements of people from not only Puducherry but also the neighbouring districts of Villupuram, Cuddalore, Kancheepuram, Tiruvannamalai and Ariyalur districts in Tamil Nadu, he said in the statement.