BATHINDA: Union food processing minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Sunday claimed that the union health ministry had cleared the proposal for hosting first batch of AIIMS, Bathinda at Faridkot-based Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS) from August. However, the Punjab government and the BFUHS authorities claim they are yet to receive an official confirmation from the union health ministry.Harsimrat on Sunday issued a release saying that AIIMS, Bathinda was finally off to a start with the PGIMER, Chandigarh team deputed by the union health ministry giving the go ahead for start of the first batch of MBBS for the institution at the BFUHS, Faridkot. Bathinda district administration had recommended to the PGIMER team five locations in district Bathinda and wanted the team to approve one of these locations.Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone of AIIMS at Bathinda on November 25, 2016 for which state government has provided 177 acres of land. However, the campus will be fully operational by year end.“Today is truly a red letter day for the Malwa region and Punjab. We have achieved a milestone. The ground has been cleared for the start of the first batch of MBBS. Youth from Punjab and all over the country will be benefitted by this move and it gives me great pleasure to spearhead this movement to expand opportunities for youth as well as usher in ultra modern medical facilities in the Malwa region”, Harsimrat said in the statement. The union minister claimed that she has received a communication from the union health ministry that a PGIMER, Chandigarh team which had visited Bathinda on February 18 to finalize the location for starting MBBS classes under AIIMS, Bathinda had found BFUHS as most suitable for the same. The team has sent its recommendation to the union ministry and it has in turn forwarded the same to the Punjab government.Punjab medical education and health minister Brahm Mohindra, however, told TOI that "the state government so far has not received any communication from the union healthy ministry regarding start of first batch at BFUHS, Faridkot". BFUHS Vice Chancellor Raj Bahadur when contacted told TOI that university has not received the communication so far. He, however, said that "the inspection team from PGIMER had visited BFUHS and if it has approved our university it will be like a feather in the cap of the university".Harsimrat in December last year had requested chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh to give the go ahead for her proposal to start classes for the first batch of MBBS students of AIIMS, at Farikdot. “I moved this proposal to ensure youth aspiring for admission in the institute did not lose one year since the medical college building will be completed by October 2019”.She said now that the union ministry had also received the recommendations of an expert team which had found BFUHS suitable because it had the requisite hostel and laboratory facilities, the Congress government should not put any further obstacles in the path of starting MBBS classes of AIIMs, Bathinda. She further said it was unfortunate that the Congress government had tried to delay construction with the sole purpose of ensuring she did not get credit for the same. “I was forced to perform the ground breaking ceremony of the Rs 925 crore project in August last year when the Congress government purposely dragged its feet over issuing mandatory clearances. Though OPD and Diagnostic center facilities which were slated to start in February, 2019 have been delayed due to such tactic.

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