NEW DELHI: The NITI Aayog plans to seek industry status for hospitals after an internal committee advised against government having a role in procurement of land for private entities. The Aayog had tasked the panel, headed by Tajamul Haque, to examine the feasibility of government agencies facilitating land acquisition for 100 hospitals to be built in Tier 2 and 3 cities under public private partnership (PPP) with the aim to give infrastructure boost to the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna (PMJAY).
Sources said the Haque committee rejected the Aayog’s proposal. “The land acquisition law has no provision for the state acquiring land for private purposes. Since the hospitals are to be set up in the PPP mode, the Haque committee recommended that the government agencies should stay away from any role in facilitating land acquisition...” said an official of the committee.
The Aayog, which is coordinating the roll out of PMJAY, has now revised its stand. “We now are seeking an industry status for hospitals so that private entities can directly purchase required land... Once the hospitals get the industry status, it may become easier for them to acquire land as per policies of respective state governments,” said a senior Aayog official.