PM slams earlier UP govts for filling their coffers at the cost of development

Sidharthnagar, Oct 25Blaming the previous governments in Uttar Pradesh for the backwardness of Poorvanchal particularly in the health sector , Prime minister Narendra Modi on Monday claimed that the Yogi Adityanath government has brought a transformation in the region and it will turn into a medical hub of the country in future.

"Those in power in the past had the priority of filling their own coffers. Our priority is to serve the poor. The government of the past both at the Centre and state did nothing for eastern UP. There was corruption in medicines, ambulances and giving jobs. The corruption cycle was being peddled," he alleged.

Addressing a mammoth public meeting after inaugurating nine new medical colleges in the backward regions in the state, PM, Poorvanchal whose image was spoiled by the previous governments, he said the Poorvanchal was defamed because of the tragic deaths due to encephalitis, but now the same Poorvanchal, the same Uttar Pradesh is going to give new light of health infrastructure.

" Today, the people of UP are also seeing that when Yogi ji was given a chance to serve the people, how he stopped the spread of encephalitis and saved the lives of thousands of children of this area. When the government is sensitive, there is a sense of compassion in the mind to understand the pain of the poor, then this is how it works," PM said.

Talking about the efforts of UP CM when he was MP of Gorakhpur, PM said ,"the brothers and sisters of UP cannot forget how Yogi ji had narrated the agony of the poor medical system of UP in the Parliament. Yogi ji was not CM then, he was just a young MP."

Terming the inauguration of nine medical colleges in the state at one go a historic event, Mr Modi, "Do anyone ever remember that in the history of Uttar Pradesh, so many medical colleges have been inaugurated simultaneously?

Tell me, has this ever happened?"



" Why this did not happen earlier and why it is happening now, there is only one reason - political will and political priority," he claimed.



" For years and years, either the building was not built, if there was a building, there were no machines, if both were done, there would be no doctors and other staff. The cycle of corruption, which looted thousands of crores of rupees from the poor, used to run round the clock separately," he alleged.



PM said.' What did the government in Delhi do seven years ago and the government here in UP four years ago, what did they do in Poorvanchal? They used to sit somewhere after announcing a dispensary, some small hospital for votes .



He said with the setting up of these nine new medical colleges, about 2500 new beds have been created besides will add new employment opportunities for more than 5000 doctors and paramedics. With this, a new avenue of medical education has been opened for hundreds of youth every year, he added.



The PM said in Uttar Pradesh till 2017 there were only 1900 medical seats in government medical colleges. Whereas in the last four years the double engine government has added more than 1900 seats. Similarly, before 2014, the medical seats in the country were less than 90,000 but in the past seven years 60,000 new medical seats have been added in the country.



Mentioning about the new Sidharthnagar medical college, Mr Modi said naming the new Sidharthnagar medical college on the name of late Madhav Prasad Tripathi,is a true tribute to Madhav Babu, who was a true hero of Poorvanchal and his name will give inspiration to the young doctors coming to do public service.



Earlier, the public rally was addressed by UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath and Union health minister Mansukh Bhai Mandavia.



Mr Mandavia while welcoming the dignitaries said the health infrastructure has increased to several times in the past seven years of the Narendra Modi regime. In 2013-14, the budget of the health ministry was just Rs 33,000 crores but now it has gone up by 18 times to Rs 2 lakh crores. He claimed that the medical seats in MBBS and PG have also increased several times in the country as well as in UP.