No headway

20/05/2018

There is absolutely no headway on setting up of maiden Medical University in Jammu and Kashmir the announcement about which was made by none else than the Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti last year. The intensity of soft-paddling can be gauged from the fact that neither the proposal has been cleared by the Finance and Planning Departments nor deliberations have been held on several key issues particularly the possible location of the varsity.The announcement, which received wide-spread appreciation, was made by the Chief Minister on December 18, 2017. On the same day, the then Health and Medical Education Minister Bali Bhagat had stated that a high-level committee has been constituted to hold deliberations on all the aspects relating to the establishment of Medical University in the State. However, despite lapse of nearly five months no headway could be made on the announcement due to lack of coordination between all the concerned departments-Health and Medical Education, Finance and Planning.
Though a draft bill prepared by the Health and Medical Education Department was cleared by the Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs when the Legislature was in Session yet the same could not be introduced for want of concurrence from the Finance and Planning Departments and the approval of these two departments was mandatory keeping in view huge financial implication involved in setting up of Medical University in the State. Keeping in view the importance of Medical University in the State, several legislators cutting across the party lines had sought to know the status of the proposal during the Budget Session held in January-February this year but in view of no headway the Government had to simply state that proposal was under active consideration.
The intensity of soft-paddling on the announcement of Chief Minister can be gauged from the fact that even deliberations have not been held on key issues particularly the probable location of the Medical University and in view of the demography of the State, the options of location available with the State Government are-full University Camps at either Jammu or Srinagar with camp office at either place or two separate Medical Universities-one each at Jammu and Srinagar. It is pertinent to mention here that all the Medical Colleges, which are presently under the control of Jammu University and Kashmir University, will be placed under the control of Medical University following its establishment.

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