AIIMS status to TMC is Congress' contribution: Bali

Dharamshala, Jul 8 (UNI) Former Himachal Minister GS Bali today accused the previous NDA Government at the Centre for ignoring the repeated recommendations of the previous state Congress Government for up-gradation of the Tanda Medical College (TMC) to AIIMS stature.

He expressed gratitude to UPA chief Sonia Gandhi for granting the status to the medical college.

''It was unfortunate that NDA Government was eager for granting this status to a private medical college in this district which is yet to come up and feelers were sent by the then NDA leadership in this connection,'' he claimed at a press conference here.

Mr Bali said the Congress Government had been urging the central government for upgrading its status. However, it was not the previous NDA Government, but the present UPA Government that has accepted the demand and sanctioned Rs 120 crore for the purpose, he added.

He demanded that the state government should take effective steps to fill up the vacant posts of registrars, senior doctors, staff nurses and the paramedical staff in TMC so that this medical college hospital could serve the people of this region in right ernest.

''The state government should sincerely begin post graduate classes in this hospital and should take needful steps in this direction,'' he added.

Replying to a question, Mr Bali said after inducting former chief minister Virbhadra Singh into the election committee of the party and nominating Mr Kaul Singh Thakur as HP Pradesh Congress Committee Chief by the party high command, the uncertainty which had cropped up in the party following the stepping down of Ms Viplove Thakur from PCC Chief post has ended now.

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