State or Centre? Who is responsible for the delay in Madurai AIIMS establishment?

The debate about the Manipur issue in Lok Sabha has turned into a DMK Vs. BJP clash. According to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Tamil Nadu is responsible for the delay in the construction of AIIMS in Madurai. Reacting to the statement of the Finance Minister, DMK MPs questioned the authenticity of the statement.

Regarding the Finance Minister's statement, Health minister Ma. Subramanian said, "Apart from Madurai, the Union government announced the construction of AIIMS in Gorakhpur, Guwahati, Jammu, Bilaspur and Awantipora."

Why is the union government fund allocated for other states alone?

In 2017, the Union government made the announcement for the construction of AIIMS in Rajkot, Telangana and Jharkhand. In 2019, Haryana was added to the list and in 2022 the announcement was made for the construction of AIIMS in Karnataka and Manipur.

The AIIMS in other states are functioning solely with the Union funds, the state's contribution is nil. The state government's only responsibility is the acquisition and allocation of land needed for the construction. Going by this arrangement Tamil Nadu has fulfilled its part, the acquisition and allocation of land but the Union government instead of using its own funds, approached JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) for financial assistance.

Ma. Subramanian, Health Minister of Tamil Nadu questioned the Union government about the bias shown by them towards other states in the funding of AIIMS projects. He also expressed concern about the inaction by the previous Edappadi K. Palaniswami government regarding the matter.

Ma. Subramanian also complains about the inaction by the government even after seeking financial assistance from JICA. The Union government explained that the reason for the delay is the change of plan from having a 600 bed facility to 900 bed facility. The Health Minister cited the recently inaugurated Kalaignar Super Specialty hospital in Chennai with a 1000 bed facility last month which was constructed within 1 year of its announcement.

"If a state government is capable of constructing a super specialty hospital with a 1000 bed facility within 1 year, then why was the Union government not taking any steps for the past 5 years?", asked Ma. Subramanian. He continued, "Union government's reply to the AIIMS construction delay was the cost overrun. The initial budget outlay was fixed at 1200 crores, which is now increased to 1900 crores. We asked about the details of AIIMS construction financial assistance to JICA authorities."

Truth revealed by JICA:

According to JICA authorities, the building plan will be completed by 2024 and the construction will be over by 2028. The Tamil Nadu government also requested JICA to speed up the AIIMS construction process. Ma. Subramanian asked the Finance Minister, "Why are you not supporting Tamil Nadu when you speak Tamil language and claim to be from Tamil Nadu? Why is the Union government not providing funds to Tamil Nadu alone when it is providing the same for all other states?"

DMK MP Tiruchi Siva said, "It's been many years since the land for AIIMS in Madurai has been identified by the Tamil Nadu government, still there is no signs of construction. The residents of Madurai who know the ground reality, cannot be fooled by misleading talks. Not just Madurai residents, the residents of all cities and towns in Tamil Nadu are aware about the sorry state of Madurai AIIMS."

Why is Tamil Nadu alone ignored by the Union government?

During the election campaign Udhayanidhi Stalin showed a brick to the public, which is the only step taken so far by the Union government regarding AIIMS in Tamil Nadu. AIIMS construction in other states which were announced after Madurai AIIMS, has been completed and brought to public use before the construction even began in Madurai. Madurai AIIMS is still in the same sorry state of how it was 5 years ago.

S. Venkatesan, Communist Party (Marxist) MP said, "Union government is continuously ignoring Madurai AIIMS alone. It's been 5 years since the announcement for the construction of AIIMS has been made and still no visible progress is seen."

Same story said in a loop:

He continued, "The story narrated by the Finance Minister in the Parliament has been told by the Union government several times, including 15 times in the written format. The story starts with the Union government asking for financial assistance from JICA and ends with the promise of starting the construction soon."

False promises will not work anymore. Truth of when and how should be addressed immediately which is why MPs from Tamil Nadu raised the issue in the Parliament. "Madurai AIIMS is the best example to showcase the fact that the Union government under Modi is ignoring Tamil Nadu alone. Now it is confirmed by the reply given by the Finance Minister", said Venkatesan.