Nabarangpur (Odisha), February 13 Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi laid the foundation stone for a new government medical college and hospital and launched 177 projects worth Rs 446 crore for the Nabarangpur district on Friday.
The CM unveiled the projects at a function held at the Mandei ground here, from where he also launched the Shri Jagannath Darshan Yojana.
"The new medical college and hospital will have 100 MBBS seats and 420 beds," Majhi said, adding that his government has fulfilled the long demands of the people of Nabarangpur who were forced to visit far-off places such as Cuttack, Visakhapatnam, and Raipur for better treatment.
He said the new medical facility will be set up on an area of more than 50 acres in Patalguda in the district.
"People of the district will no longer have to go to other places for treatment," the CM said, adding that all modern medical facilities will be available within the district.
He asserted that within 20 months of his government assuming power, three new medical colleges have been made operational in Jajpur, Kandhamal, and Talcher.
"We have also promised to open four more medical colleges. Today, the foundation stone was laid in Nabarangpur. Three more medical colleges will be established in Dhenkanal, Jagatsinghpur, and Bhadrak soon," he said.
On the occasion, the CM launched 177 development projects worth more than Rs 446 crore for the Nabarangpur district. This included the inauguration of 112 projects worth Rs 68 crore and the laying of the foundation stone for 65 other projects worth Rs 378 crore.
He said the projects, covering education, healthcare, roads, bridges, hostels, forest protection committees, anganwadi centres, and others, will further accelerate the development of Nabarangpur.
Briefing reporters, the chief minister said the state government is taking steps towards the overall development and progress of the district. "Even though Nabarangpur is far from Bhubaneswar, its development will never be far from the government," he said.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Mukesh Mahaling said that three decades ago, there were only three government medical colleges in Odisha.
"Today, in the double-engine government, we have taken steps to open medical colleges in all the districts in just 18 months. Our goal is to provide quality medical facilities to the people of the state and to ensure the availability of doctors at all times," Mahaling said.
Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida, who is also in charge of the tourism and women and child development departments, Minister for Scheduled Tribes and Castes Development and School and Mass Education Nityanand Gand, Nabarangpur MP Balabhadra Majhi, Rajya Sabha MP Muzibulla Khan, MLAs, and officers, and others attended the event.