PM Modi Lays Foundation Stone Of AIIMS, Darbhanga, Floats Rs 12,100-Crore Projects

CM Nitish Kumar said Bihar got its first AIIMS in 2003 under the prime ministership of Vajpayee. The initiative for the second started in 2015.

Patna: Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of AIIMS in Sobhan under the Bahadurpur block of the district, the second such state-of-the-art health institution in Bihar. Aside from this, he launched projects worth Rs 12,100 crore for the state. Soon after landing in Darbhanga, he was welcomed with a garland of Makhana.

The programme was attended by Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, Governor of Bihar, union ministers Nitin Gadkari, Jagat Prakash Nadda, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Hardeep Singh Puri, Jitan Ram Manjhi, Chirag Paswan, Upendra Kushwaha, the deputy chief minister, other ministers and MPs.

Addressing the audience at the event he said, "Bihar is witnessing a lot of development as NDA govt is committed to the welfare of people. The previous governments in Bihar never bothered about health infrastructure and made false promises. The situation improved after Nitish Kumar came to power. We opened over 1.5 lakh 'Ayushman Arogya Mandir' in the country for the economically weaker sections. Our govt has added 1 lakh medical seats across and will add 75,000 more. Nitish Kumar brought good governance and removed the 'Jungle Raj' in Bihar. Rs 11,000-crore project is being implemented by NDA government in Bihar to mitigate floods".

Remembering Maharaja Kameshwar Singh, he said the contribution of Maharaja couldn't be forgotten. His contribution is discussed in Kashi and his work before and after independence is commendable.

He said heritage also had to be conserved along with development. The ancient epicentre of knowledge, Nalanda University, is moving forward towards its glory and Pali got the status of a classical language. There is a saying in Mithilanchal that Pag-Pag Pokhari, Machh-Makhan, Madhur Bol, Muski Mukh Paan. It is the priority of the NDA government to make available all facilities to farmers and fish cultivators. The farmers of Bihar got more than Rs 25,000 crores under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi. Under the 'One Product One District' Scheme, Makhana and other products are being sold in markets across the country. Now, Makhana has also got a Geographical Indication (GI) tag.

He announced new flight services from Ranchi to New Delhi and Mumbai and updated the audience about the progress of the construction of the Amas-Darbhanga Expressway.

"We have fulfilled Karpoori Thakur's dream. Now anyone can become a doctor by studying in their mother tongue. Now children from poor and tribal areas can also become doctors. Today I have fulfilled one of my guarantees. Now those above 70 will be able to get their treatment done for free and have Ayushman cards soon. Our goal is to provide better health facilities in small cities, on which we are continuously working," Modi said.

"Today is a very important day in Bihar's development journey. With the inauguration and foundation stone laying of many development projects from Darbhanga, the life of the people of the state is going to become easier," he wrote in his X handle.

From the podium, chief minister Nitish Kumar said in an earlier address said a lot of problems cropped up in the initial phase of the AIIMS project as talks on converting Darbhanga Medical College into AIIMS were also being mulled. It was not possible to build AIIMS in DMCH. Later a proposal for an AIIMS in Shobhan was considered.

He said the construction of AIIMS would provide convenience to the people of Bihar, which got the first AIIMS in 2003 during the prime ministership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The initiative for the second AIIMS was started in 2015. The Shibhan AIIMS will cater not only to the people of North Bihar, Muzaffarpur, Madhubani, Supaul, Saharsa and Sitamarhi but also neighbouring Nepal and Seemanchal. At the same time, the PM Jan Aushadhi Kendras will be made available at 18 railway stations where people can buy medicines at 50-90 per cent cheaper than the market.

The plethora of projects launched by Modi also includes the construction of 13 national highways connecting Araria, Kishanganj, Darbhanga, Samastipur, Banka, Gaya, Jehanabad, Saran, Katihar, Vaishali and surrounding areas.