Kerala CM meets PM Modi; reiterates demand for AIIMS in the state, payment of GST dues

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the national capital on Tuesday. The Kerala CM discussed various issues related to the state and urged PM Modi to set up an AIIMS in the state, along with providing pending GST dues worth more than Rs. 4,500 crores. Pinarayi stated that the state has been facing financial issues, so it immediately needs the GST dues of Kerala paid. While speaking about setting up AIIMS in Kerala, the minister said that the demand for AIIMS in Kerala has been pending for a long time.

Kerala CM said, "We discussed the demand for AIIMS in Kerala and the Prime Minister was very positive in his reponse."

The demand for AIIMS in Kerala

PM Modi evolved a policy in 2014 to develop 14 new AIIMS under various phases of the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana. In 2018, MP M.K. Raghavan had urged the central government to speed up the process of setting up AIIMS in Kozhikode. He also raised the issue in Lok Sabha during the zero hour and said that the Union Health Ministry sanctioned the AIIMS in almost every state. In reply, BJP President JP Nadda said that the center has never announced any AIIMS for Kerala.

However, just after few weeks of the Lok Sabha zero-hour session, the center went back on its statement and considered setting up AIIMS for Kerala. The government even identified four locations for AIIMS in Kerala i.e., Arpookara in Kottayam, Kallikkad in Thiruvananthapuram, Kinalur in Kozhikode, and Thrikkakkara in Ernakulam. But the project is still lagging behind to be established in the state.

Pinarayi Vijayan also met Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri

The newly appointed Union Urban Development & Housing, Petroleum and Natural gas minister in PM Modi’s revamped cabinet, Hardeep Singh Puri met Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday to discuss several issues. The Kerala CM paid a visit to the cabinet minister at his office and received a warm welcome. The duo discussed various development and housing issues at the meeting. After the meeting, Hardeep Singh Puri said he was happy to host Kerala CM and said that two issues, precisely about metro and petrol and natural gas were discussed in the meeting.

(IMAGE: PTI)