THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Sparking confusion over the state’s dream of hosting an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), the Centre has apparently taken the stand the project was never under consideration.
Union Health Minister J P Nadda informed the Lok Sabha of the Centre’s stand on the issue in a reply to a question by Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor. Tharoor later tweeted: “‘Shocker: In reply to my question in LS, BJP Government today says they never announced any AIIMs for Kerala, so the question about an AIIMS in Thiruvananthapuram does not arise. If anyone doubted BJP’s contempt for the public of Kerala, this should dispel it conclusively.’’
Interestingly, the Centre went back on its previous stand just weeks after Health Minister K K Shylaja issued a statement after meeting Nadda in New Delhi that the Centre was considering setting up an AIIMS-like institution in Kerala. An AIIMS had been the state’s dream. The government even identified four locations – Arpookara in Kottayam, Kallikkad in Thiruvananthapuram, Kinalur in Kozhikode and Thrikkakkara in Ernakulam – for its establishment.