CM asks ayurveda students to serve in rural areas

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Paprola (Dharamsala), January 10

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today urged students of Rajiv Gandhi Ayurvedic College to serve in rural areas after completing their courses.

Addressing students during the annual function of the college at Paprola, the CM said it was a general tendency, especially among girl students of medical colleges, to serve in urban areas after completing their courses.

“I have asked the Health Department to prepare a list of the background of doctors passing out of ayurvedic and other medical colleges of the state. We want to study as to why the students do not want to serve in their respective areas,” said the CM.

In a lighter vein, the CM said, “In case girls do not serve in rural areas, I will reduce their quota of admission in colleges.” He added that girls were always sincere towards their work as compared to boys.

The CM accepted the management’s demand and announced the construction of an auditorium at the institute in the name of former minister Sant Ram, father of Town and Country Planning Minister Sudhir Sharma.

Local Congress MLA from Baijnath Kishori Lal, who belongs to the Kaul Singh group, showered praise on the CM and demanded a fire station in his area. The CM said he would consider his demand.

Speaking on the occasion, the CM said he had laid the foundation of the Ayurvedic Medical College at Paprola 28 years ago. The present government granted an additional 28 kanals of land for its expansion. The college is among the top 10 ayurveda colleges in the country, he said, adding the Ayush Department of the Union Government had declared the college as the regional centre of excellence.

The CM said the present government had increased the retirement age of professors in the Paprola Ayurvedic Medical College from 58 to 62 years. The post of senior lecturer had been revived in the college to open more promotional avenues for doctors serving here, he said.

The CM said he would consider increasing the stipend of medical interns and postgraduate students of the college. The college management also brought to the notice of the CM that many building in the college, including girls hostel, were incomplete for the want of funds.

Earlier, the CM laid the foundation stone of the proposed parking lot and road extension to the medical college to be built at a cost of Rs 55 lakh. He also dedicated the newly built Dhanvantari temple and planted a sapling on the college campus.

The CM said 66 posts of ayurvedic doctor were filled through direct recruitment and 57 through batch-wise recruitment by his government.

He said the BAMS seats in the college would be increased from 50 to 60 from the 2015-16 session. Even foreign students were now coming to study in this college. A memorandum of understanding had been signed between the college and DKS Bastyr University, US, which would help students of that university to come and study at the ayurvedic college at Paprola, he said.

A colourful cultural function was presented on the occasion by college students. Urban Development Minister Sudhir Sharma, CPS Jagjivan Pal, Congress MLAs Ajay Mahajan and Yadvinder Goma were also present.