Narendra Modi's Bilaspur visit: PM inaugurates AIIMS in Himachal Pradesh; ushers IIITs as beginning of 'new era'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday championed Himachal Pradesh as a tourist spot and said that access to an AIIMS hospital will make tourists visit the state more frequently while laying the foundation of a new AIIMS centre in Bilaspur.

[caption id=“attachment_4051745” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Reuters[/caption] “We’re making a campus where over 3,000 people will work together. This is also bringing employment opportunities,” Modi said while addressing a rally in Bilaspur. The choice of venue is interesting because Himachal Pradesh is headed for polls this year, and Bilaspur is the hometown of Union Health Minister JP Nadda, who is believed to be one of the chief ministerial aspirants, wrote The Indian Express . The opening of AIIMS in Himachal Pradesh has a lot of benefits for people, Modi said, while also championing the Indradhanush Yojna. “I congratulate JP Nadda for his efforts,” he said adding that the scheme has covered significant ground in vaccination. Apart from laying the foundation for AIIMS, Modi also launched other mega central projects in the state as well. He laid the foundation stone of an Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) to be set up in Una town and inaugurated a steel processing plant of the Steel Authority of India set up with an outlay of Rs 70 crore in Kandrori town in Kangra district, via video conference from Bilaspur. IIIT is not just a college but it is the beginning of a new era, Modi said. Donning a Himachali cap, Modi, accompanied by Nadda, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and his cabinet colleagues and state Members of Parliament Anurag Thakur and Shanta Kumar, also launched Tata Digital Nerve Centre in Bilaspur town. Modi also said, “There are 13 development projects in Himachal Pradesh for which Central Govt will invest Rs 15,000 Crore.” Officials said the 750-bed AIIMS would be set up with an outlay of Rs 1,350 crore with facility for a medical college with an intake capacity of 100 seats and a nursing college with 60 seats. With inputs from IANS