Deputy Chief Minister of Nagaland, Mr.Y. Patton today called on Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh and discussed wide range of issues related to development projects and proposals submitted by the State Government.
During the meeting, Dr JitendraSingh pointed out to Mr Patton that as a special consideration and priority, the Centre has sanctioned for the State of Nagaland, second Government Medical College within a short span of three years. He said, it is an irony that for over 70 years after independence, Nagaland was possibly the only State in the country which did not have a single Medical College of its own, which led to inconvenience to the patients as well as aspiring Medicos who were constrained to travel outside the State.
Dr JitendraSingh further noted that for a small State with a population of just about 20 Lakh, two centrally funded Medical Colleges are an indication of the priority that the Central government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi accords to the North Eastern Region and the peripheral far-flung States like Nagaland.
Pertinent to mention that while the first ever Medical College for Nagaland was sanctioned about three years back for the capital city of Kohima, the second Medical College has now been sanctioned to be located at district Mon in Eastern Nagaland.
Deputy CM also took up with the DoNER Minister the State projects to be executed under NERDS (North East Region Development Scheme). He expressed keenness to expedite the road project of Chan Dang Sadle to Noklak which is about 31 Kilometre.
Dr JitendraSingh observed that all the schemes sanctioned by the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER ) and the North Eastern Council (NEC) are based on the priority cited by the respective State governments. He said, there has been certain inevitable delay in some projects due to unfortunate COVID conditions, and added that the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) had been forthcoming in providing financial assistance to the North Eastern State governments in the very beginning of the COVID pandemic. Even now, the Ministry is processing proposals from several States for funding of Infectious Disease Hospitals and healthcare for the future, he added.
