NAMAKKAL: Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Thursday laid the foundation stone for a Rs 338.76 crore medical college at Namakkal and said the AIADMK government is proud of having created 2,000 extra medical seats in the State over the past one year. On behalf of the people of the State, he thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan for granting permission to establish 11 new medical colleges in the State.
“When Amma was the chief minister, she established six medical colleges. Following her footsteps, we have brought 11 new colleges in a single year,” Palaniswami said, addressing a large gathering. Till 2011, there were 1,945 seats in the State, he said, and Amma brought 855 new seats. “After her demise, we created 350 new seats last year. Now, as a result of creation of 11 new medical colleges, there would be an increase of seats by 1,650. So, the AIADMK government has brought around 2,000 additional seats for medical aspirants,” Palaniswami said. Rubbishing allegations that locals were denied medical seats, the chief minister said the opposition parties were disseminating false information.
“They must know the ground reality. As per rules, a total of 85 per cent seats are allotted to students from Tamil Nadu, while the remaining goes under All-India quota,” he said. Heaping praise on Namakkal, Palaniswami said the district has emerged as an industrial hub, with a conducive ecosystem for industries of various kinds to thrive. On medical services, he said that the State stands first in providing the services compared to other states, even as he listed out a host of other schemes, including Kudimaramathu and CM’s Grievance Day. Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, who also took part in the event, hit out at the opposition parties for criticising the government constantly without considering its work on the ground.
“We have been providing numerous schemes that have been welcomed by the people. However, the opposition parties are unable to tolerate our good work,” Panneerselvam said, besides referring to passage of a “historic” bill in declaring delta region as protected agricultural zone. Ministers P Thangamani, V Saroja, KA Sengottaiyan, C Vijayabhaskar among other government officials took part in the event.