The Congress in Nagaland slammed the government led by Neiphiu Rio for ‘lies’ on funds for medical colleges in the state.
By Imna Longchar, TFM Nagaland Correspondent
All India Congress Committee (AICC) media coordinator, Nagaland, Mahima Singh on Friday stated that Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio has been held as an “hostage” by the BJP while other senior politicians including bureaucrats who would be in the fray for the February 27 Nagaland poll were sidelined by not giving them party tickets.
Coming down heavily on different “tales” including the “mysterious” high court building and the much talked about medical colleges in the state under ministry of the Health and Family Welfare, Mahima said that under phase-I of establishment of new medical colleges attached with existing district/referral hospitals scheme Naga Hospital, Kohima, was approved at Rs 189 Crores to be approved in the ratio of 90:10 (Centre:State) while in the phase-III of the same scheme, Mon medical college was approved at Rs 325 crore also in the ratio of 90:10.
According to Mahima, as of November 22, 2019, the complete share of Rs 171.10 crore has been disbursed to the state of Nagaland, as Nagaland chief minister, Neiphiu Rio himself has on February 18, 2021, had assured the people of Nagaland that the Kohima Medical College would start taking admissions from 2022-23.
She also mentioned that just few months back, Nagaland’s governor, Jagdish Mukhi, had raised concern over it while it was alleged that the government officials had lied to him saying that it was delayed because the funds had not been released due to the Covid-19 pandemic while in reality, the complete amount had been given to the state as of November 22, 2019.
As per the reply to the unstarred question No.1075 at Lok Sabha in 2019 which was put up by the MP, Tokheho Yepthomi, the ministry of health and family welfare had responded by saying that the state government has been requested to expedite the completion of the medical college. ALSO READ: AU1075 (1)
Meanwhile, it was learnt that for the Mon Medical College site, a whopping amount of Rs 242.5 crores of the centre’s total share of Rs 292.5 crore has been received by the “Rio government”.