Delhi CM unveils healthcare, rural development initiatives

In a bid to strengthen healthcare and rural infrastructure in the Capital, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday inaugurated a series of health services and village development projects under the Sewa Pakhwada initiative, commemorating Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday. An event in this regard was attended by Delhi Health Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh, Chief Secretary Dharmendra, Health Secretary Nikhil Kumar, Special Secretary Danish Ashraf, senior officials, doctors, ‘TB champions’, and beneficiaries.

As part of the healthcare push, Gupta unveiled a comprehensive health package, including 40 TrueNat machines, 10 Patho-Detect machines, and 27 hand-held X-ray machines to improve early TB detection and treatment across Delhi. She flagged off 11 new CATS ambulances, taking the city’s fleet to 277, with 53 more expected by October to strengthen emergency medical response.

A highlight of the event was the launch of Delhi’s first online organ donation portal, designed to bring transparency and encourage citizens to pledge their organs, potentially saving countless lives.

At Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalaya, the Chief Minister inaugurated a District Early Intervention Centre, which would provide timely screening and treatment for children with developmental challenges.

The CM said these initiatives would “not only modernise Delhi’s health infrastructure but also ensure timely, reliable, and affordable care for every citizen”. She added that dialysis capacity had doubled to 300 machines, 168 Arogya Mandirs have been opened in just 167 days, and several major hospital expansion projects were underway. The Health Minister said Delhi had appointed 1,300 nurses and permanent Medical Superintendents for the first time, and streamlined medicine procurement through a fully transparent centralised system. In a separate initiative, the CM chaired the first meeting of the newly formed Delhi Rural Development Board, approving 431 projects worth over Rs 1,000 crore for village development across 30 Assembly and four parliamentary constituencies.

She said villages were the lifeline of Delhi, adding that there would be no shortage of funds for their development.

The approved projects would cover the construction of roads, drains, ponds, community centres, parks, cremation grounds, sports fields, gyms, and libraries, along with improvements in drinking water facilities, streetlights, and other essential services. Gupta instructed officials to prepare area-wise plans for each constituency to ensure transparency, accountability, and speedy execution. Development Minister Kapil Mishra, Board Chairman Rajkumar Chauhan, Vice-Chairman Gajendra Singh Daral, and several MLAs were present at the meeting.