CHENNAI: Health Minister Ma Subramanian on Wednesday said it was the incumbent government that has spent around Rs 4,000 crore to Rs 5,000 crore since 2021 to complete the construction of 11 medical colleges in the state.
He was responding to AIADMK MLA and former health minister C Vijaya Baskar who blamed the DMK government for failing to create even one new college while the previous AIADMK government announced 11 new colleges.
Subramanian contended that the vision of having a medical college in every district was first espoused by late CM M Karunanidhi in 2011 and administrative sanctions and site selection for about six of the 11 colleges announced by the AIADMK government were done by the previous DMK government itself.
He said 10 of the 11 medical colleges have already been inaugurated, while the last one, in Udhagamandalam, is set to open next month. He emphasised while the AIADMK announced these institutions, it was the DMK’s consistent financial support that made them operational.
Balaji: ED raid an attempt to tarnish TN govt
Chennai: Minister for Electricity, Prohibition and Excise on Wednesday questioned the basis on which the Enforcement Directorate conducted raids recently in Tasmac offices when BJP MLA Vanathi Srinivasan raised the issue in the Assembly.
When the latter alleged irregularities worth Rs 1,000 crore has been unearthed from Tasmac, in a reference to the recent statement of the ED, Balaji denied the allegation, and asked, “Based on which FIRs did the ED conduct the raids?” referring to the need for a predicate offence for the central agency to commence an investigation. On the figure alleged by the ED, he said, “That figure is their ‘mana kanakku’ (assumptions with no basis).”