Keylong (Himachal Pradesh) [India], October 13 (ANI): Union Health Minister JP Nadda laid the foundation stone for the Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR) High-Altitude Research Centre at an altitude of 10,000 feet. The project is estimated to cost Rs 36 crore.
BJP MP Kangana Ranaut, Union Minister of State (MoS) for Defence Sanjay Seth, and Himachal Pradesh Leader of Opposition (LoP) Jai Ram Thakur were present during the ceremony on Monday.
“This is the last village of our country. PM Modi has changed its definition. It is not the last village of the country. It is the first village of the country. By considering it as the first village and making it a vibrant village, tourism is increasing there today,” Nadda said while addressing a gathering here.
“Special packages are being offered for this, and there are 75 such vibrant villages in Himachal Pradesh where roads are being built and dispensaries are being constructed. Arrangements for homestays are being made for staying there so that tourists can go there, and in this way development can be taken forward,” he added.
Meanwhile, MoS Defence Seth informed that the health budget has been increased from Rs 37,000 crore in 2014-15 to Rs 99,000 crore today.
“In 2014-15, the health budget in the country was Rs 37,000 crore and today, under the leadership of JP Nadda, the budget is more than Rs 99,000 crore,” he said.
Himachal Pradesh LoP Jai Ram Thakur said that research conducted in Keylong will be used throughout the country.
“Today, the All India Medical Institute, which once meant AIIMS in Delhi for us, is now in Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh. There are six government medical colleges in Himachal Pradesh. Research will take place here in Keylong, and after our scientists conduct their research, it will be used throughout the country, not just globally, because the daily conditions of life at high altitude are different; so naturally, all health-related topics are also different,” Thakur added.
Speaking about the establishment of the ICMR research centre, BJP MP Kangana Ranaut said that it was in tandem with PM Modi’s vision to bring development to villages once considered the last in the country.
“We were called the last village because we are people living near the border area. The Prime Minister says that it is not the last but the first. It is our priority and, indeed, as he says, so is his action. JP Nadda is the son of our mountains,” Ranaut added. (ANI)
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