Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 26: Coming forward in support of ruling alliance partner BJP, Education Minister and senior PDP leader Naeem Akhter today endorsed the demand for setting up All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Jammu.
“PDP fully supports the demand for separate AIIMS in Jammu since J&K is a particular State which needs two such institutes; one in Kashmir and another in Jammu because each region has its own needs,” he said while addressing in a private function, here today.
While elaborating, Naeem Akhter, who is also official spokesman of the State Government as well as ruling PDP, explained that patients of one region can not easily move to other part for treatment while Jammu is feasible to cater to the entire State.
In an apparent reference to the criticism of BJP as well as Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh for their alleged failure to get their written assurance fulfilled for a formal announcement on setting up AIIMS in Jammu by July 20, Naeem Akhter stressed that the commitment made in this regard was not made by an individual but the State Government.
“Dr Nirmal Singh is not the Deputy Chief Minister of BJP or Jammu region only but the entire State and has the full backing of Chief Minister Mufti Mohd on each issue. Therefore, AIIMS in Jammu is not only the concern of Nirmal Singh or BJP but the State Government,” he said.
This is for the first time that any PDP Minister in the Coalition Government has publically endorsed the demand for AIIMS in Jammu, for which an indefinite protest dharna is being observed by a Coordination Committee of various Jammu based non-political organizations, headed by the Bar Association Jammu.
The Education Minister, while addressing the function, also highlighted the initiatives and reforms being taken by his department to further improve the education system in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly Government schools.
“In view of number of challenges before the Education Department, we have taken some initiatives like rationalization of resources, creation of Model Schools and village level committees for effective monitoring by locals in rural areas,” he said and informed that SRML Higher Secondary School in Jammu would be developed as one of the best schools in the country.
Admitting that pass percentage in Government schools had slightly reduced this year because of strictness against copying menace, the Education Minister hoped that the initiative in this regard would yield good result in future and improve standard of education.
He also announced that IIT and IIM Jammu would be started soon while the efforts were on for identification of land for their campuses.
Follow our WhatsApp channel