(Repeating DI 23, with corrections)

New Delhi, June 22 (UNI) The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) today gave its approval for upgrading the status of 13 Medical Institutions and setting up six new institutes of the level of All India Institute of Medical Sciences(AIIMS) to fill the gap in tertiary healthcare infrastructure and quality medical education in the under-served States.

"The upgradation(13 Institutions) proposal has been done under the Pradahan Mantri Swasthiya Yojna with a base cost of around Rs 1560 crores," Finance Minister P Chidambaram told newspersons here.

The proposal entails upgradation of 11 medical Institutions one each in the States of Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat and West Bengal and two exiisting institutions in the State of Andhra Pradesh.

The Cabinet also gave its nod for upgradation of one more institution in Jammu and Kashmir, namely Government Medical College, Srinagar, and another public institution in Uttar Pradesh.

Mr Chidambaram said the decision to upgrade 11 medical institutions was deferred on "the last occassion" to identify them.

He said six Institutions of the level of superspeciliaty hospital and research institution like AIIMS will be set up.

UNI GS VD RK1438