PUDUCHERRY: Healthcare is one of the sectors that will play a key role in shaping the future of the country, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Thursday.
Laying the foundation stone and inaugurating projects worth over Rs 3000 crores in the Union territory at an auditorium at JIPMER on Thursday, Modi said healthcare received a big boost in this year’s Budget. In line with the government’s objective to provide quality healthcare to all, he was inaugurating a state of the art Blood Centre in JIPMER. This project at an estimated cost of Rs 28 crore would provide modern healthcare facilities as well as train healthcare professionals. “This new facility will accommodate advanced facilities for long term storage of blood, blood products and stem cells banking,” he said.
The Prime Minister said that the new Jipmer campus in Karaikal is a step toward helping healthcare professionals develop their skills. The project which costs Rs 291 crore is meant to provide medical training to people of the region as well as generate employment.
Stating that prosperity is closely linked to good health, Modi said that in the last seven years, India has made many efforts to improve fitness and wellness. "In this context, I am delighted to lay the foundation stone for a 400 metre synthetic athletic track at the sports complex here. This is a part of the Khelo India scheme. With the coming of good sports facilities to Puducherry, youth from this state can excel in national and global sports meets," he said. The 100-bed girls hostel constructed at Lawspet inaugurated by him is one more initiative to help sporting talent. This hostel will accommodate hockey, volleyball, weightlifting kabaddi and handball players. The hostel students will train under SAI coaches.
Modi who laid the foundation stone to the four lane NH 45-A said that India needed world class infrastructure to cater to its development needs. This is a 56 kilometre Sattnathapuram – Nagapattinam stretch covering Karaikal district, which will improve the connectivity and economic activity will gather steam. At the same time, it will improve access to the holy Saneeswaran Temple at Karaikal and provide easy interstate connectivity to the Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health and Nagore Dargah.
Laying the foundation of Puducherry Port Development under Sagarmala Scheme, he said that the coast is the spirit of Puducherry and there is so much potential in fisheries, port, shipping and the blue economy Once completed, it will help fishermen who have been using this port for venturing into the sea for fishing operations. It will provide much needed sea connectivity to Chennai. This will facilitate cargo movement for industries of Puducherry, ease the load on the Chennai port and open up possibilities of passenger traffic among the coastal cities.
Modi also inaugurated the renovated Marie building, an iconic heritage structure on the Beach road in Puducherry.