Amaravati, March 4 Andhra Pradesh Minister Satya Kumar Yadav said on Wednesday that the government is taking steps to operationalize 10 medical colleges under the PPP model over the next two financial years.
Addressing the Assembly, the state health minister said that of the 17 medical colleges initiated during the previous YSRCP regime, 11 were sanctioned under the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), while three each were taken up under Central government schemes and the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) scheme.
"The government is taking measures to run 10 medical colleges under the Public Private Partnership model in the next two financial years," he said, adding that the total cost is estimated at Rs 8,480 crore.
He alleged that only Rs 1,500 crore was spent on these colleges during the previous YSRCP government, claiming that Rs 500 crore alone was spent on the Pulivendula medical college, while other institutions were neglected.
Yadav said the present government has spent Rs 900 crore on these colleges since assuming office, and accused YSRCP leaders of falsely claiming credit for their construction.
He alleged that the previous government had not initiated land acquisition for the Parvatipuram Medical College.
Further, a war of words broke out in the Legislative Council between YSRCP members and treasury benches over the alleged Tirupati laddu ghee adulteration issue.
Irrigation Minister K Atchannaidu said that Heritage Foods, a dairy firm owned by the family of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, has no connection with the alleged adulteration case.
He accused YSRCP MLCs of raising the issue to divert attention from the main discussion, and maintained that there is no link between Indapur Dairy and Heritage Foods.
Recently, YSRCP chief Jagan Mohan Reddy alleged that Naidu had enabled Indapur Dairy and Milk Products Ltd to participate in Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) tenders and qualify to supply ghee. However, Atchannaidu said Heritage Foods had decided not to supply ghee to any government entity.
Revenue Minister A Satya Prasad accused YSRCP MLCs of misleading the House by invoking Heritage Foods, and alleged that the adulteration of TTD laddu ghee occurred between 2020 and 2024 during the previous YSRCP regime.
YSRCP MLC Chandrasekhar Reddy claimed that Bhole Baba Dairy, accused in the TTD ghee adulteration case, was granted technical clearance in June 2018 under the then Telugu Desam Party government.