Our Political Bureau/

Union minister of state for health and family welfare, Ashwani Kumar Choubey who once started movements against Nitish Kumar’s anti Vikramshila attitude, has  strengthened the need for setting up the prosed central varsity in the name of Vikramshila as well for tagging this unique heritage of the country with Buddha Circuit and also with the World Heritage Site of UNESCO.

He strongly advocated for the settlement of land by the state government so that the proposed central varsity could be established soon at Bhagalpur.

Choubey who arrived his home district on September 17 first time after becoming the union minister, said that he was among the few to create pressure on the central government for the announcement of the central varsity on 2015 but since the entire episode was pending due to land allocation for it, the matter has been delayed. “Hope I could meet the chief minister, Nitish Kumar on September 20 and try my level best so that work for the  proposed central varsity could be started soon. Works should be started immediately as the Bhagalpur district administration already sent proposal with three pieces of lands here to the state headquarters. To my knowledge, there should not be any delay for it when the lands are available for it,” he pointed out.

Choubey among his supporters.

Choubey  however categorically refused that giving AIMS to any district is under his jurisdiction. “I am very surprised to find my media friends’ repeated questions on AIMS all most all the places where I visited recently from Varanasi, Patna, Bhojpur, Bhagalpur. There are sudden norms for setting up AIMS and only after the consent of state government with minimum 200 acres piece of single land, the process could be initiated,” he said. He further said that one AIMS is schedule at Bihar but the place is yet not selected.

Choubey’s version however disappointed many here who have been fighting for AIMS here. “When land could easily be available here and higher medical institution like AIMS is very essential, some positive attitude is required keeping view the largest interests of common mass,” said Ajit Kumar Singh, a social activist here.

However Choubey  said that a high level team from the union health ministry is scheduled to arrive to Patna on September 20 to review many important projects. “We have hardly one year in hands to work, rather going to new projects I think it should be more wise to concentrate on pending projects,” he said.

He said that Tata Trustee has assured for help for establishing one regional cancer institute for the children in Bihar. Besides, in the 38 districts in Bihar, cancer detection center is prosed. “The Gangetic belts from Patna to Rajmahal (Jharkhand) has been emerging cancer prone zone where cases of gallbladder cancer is reported alarmingly. We have to pay concern at least for the patients so that for treatment they could not travel far away from their native places in the areas,” he pointed out.

He said that a super specialty hospital at Bhagalpur has already sanctioned for Bhagalpur by the central government. “During 2014-15 I urged the then UPA government for a super specialty hospital here. Purnea based company, CPWD has been selected for the proposed hospital and hope in coming November-December 2017 the laying of foundation stone would be done here for it,” he said.

Choubey at the press conference.

Choubey has expressed his serious concerned over slow running of generic medicines in a poor state like Bihar. “The central government is serious about the promotion of generic medicines. With the cooperation of state government, We will soon regularize the generic medicines in all parts in Bihar,” he said.

Earlier on his arrival, residents hosted a warm welcome to Choubey .People from different walks of lives irrespective of caste and religions. Large sections of Muslims in different localities from where the motorcades of Choubey passed, were in forefront to give him a warm welcome here. Huge crowd was assembled at Anant Ram Dhandhaniya Saraswati  school campus here last evening where people felicitated him. “He is a grass root level here having a sound character and has no association with lumpen people,” said a sympathizer of Choubey.