OPDs at 750-bed Rewari AIIMS to begin by March: Rao

Inspecting the under-construction building of AIIMS at Majra village in the district on Saturday, Union Minister of State for Statistics, Programme Implementation and Planning Rao Inderjit Singh said the OPDs would begin by March and medical classes from the coming session.

The 750-bed AIIMS is being built on 210 acres and will incur an expenditure of about Rs 1,700 crore. As per regulations, it will initially have 50 MBBS seats, which will be later increased to 100.

The minister has directed officials to stick to the time frame, and said the recruitment of faculty members and other staffers would also be carried out soon.

"The commencement of OPDs will provide quality healthcare services to residents of Rewari district and surrounding areas," he said. The minister also gave instructions to start the construction of a railway overbridge nearby.

The AIIMS Director, Dr DN Sharma, said the construction was going on at a fast pace and the OPDs would be started in March. "Medical classes will also begin from the June-July session," he said, adding that the emergency services and the remaining construction would be completed soon.

The Bawal MLA, Dr Krishan Kumar, said the establishment of AIIMS was a boon for the local residents.

Rao Inderjit also laid the foundation stone of a Hanuman temple and an inn, besides announcing a grant of Rs 11 lakh for their construction.

He said he had met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to convey the sentiments of ex-servicemen and the families of martyrs to restore the Ahir Dham stone at Chasul, which depicts the heroic saga of the soldiers of the India-China War, to its original position.

Soldiers' bodies had also demanded that gallantry medals awarded to the soldiers and martyrs after the Rezang La battle be reviewed. They had stated that in view of the courage of the soldiers at Rezang La, a gallantry review board should be constituted to award medals to the martyrs.

'PM hasn't retired, why should I?'

Narnaul: Taking a U-turn from his earlier stance of retiring from politics, Rao Inderjit Singh on Saturday asked why should he retire when Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not. "The concept of age applies to everyone. Narendra bhai has not retired, so why should I? And that, too, when people don't want me to," he said, while addressing a public meeting.