Bihar CM Nitish Kumar lays foundation stone for 500-bed hospital in Ujiarpur.

Source – newkerala.com

Bihar Assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Choudhary and state Health Minister Mangal Pandey were also present at the event. The medical facility is set to be named Shri Ram Janki Medical College and Hospital.

Speaking to ANI about the development, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, who represents Ujiarpur Lok Sabha constituency, expressed pleasure over the development.

“I had made a promise to the people of Ujiarpur that the government will open a hospital in this area. Today, we have come one step closer to fulfilling my promise to the people of the constituency and ‘Mithilanchals’,” Rai said in New Delhi.

He said that currently, people in the region have to travel to metro cities like Delhi and Mumbai to get proper medical treatment. “However, this 500-bed hospital will provide all kinds of medical facilities to the people right here,” Rai said.

“I especially thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Health Minister, Bihar Chief Minister, and Bihar Assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar. Today, the foundation stone was laid and soon the dream of mega Hospital in Ujiarpur will become reality,” he added.

The hospital in Ujiarpur will be completed within 36 months at a cost of around Rs 591.77 crore.

Ramjanki Trust Samastipur had allotted 21 acres of land for the hospital and medical college, which is a joint effort of the state and central government. The hospital will be equipped with advanced medical facilities including ICU and dozens of operation theatres.

Once complete, this will be the second-biggest hospital in the state.

Ink Attack on Union Minister Ashwini Choubey Outside Government Hospital in Patna

Source: news18.com

Patna: A bottle full of ink was flung here on Tuesday towards Union Minister of State for Health Ashwini Kumar Choubey, who ended up with stains on his clothes while his vehicle got smudged with the dark blue liquid.

The drama unfolded outside the Patna Medical College and Hospital which Choubey had visited to inspect the ward where patients suffering from dengue, incidence of which has witnessed a spurt in the past fortnight, were admitted.

The minister, who is known to prefer taking the front seat adjacent to that of the driver, had opened the door and was about to board when the uncorked bottle came across flying and crashed a few feet away from him.

Spots of the ink could be seen on the ministers kurta sleeves and his sleeveless jacket while the cars bonnet and window panes were covered with blotches. Hospital authorities and officials who had come out to see the minister off exclaimed in horror while the personnel deputed for his security gave the suspected miscreants, one of them donning a blue T-shirt and jeans and the other dressed in a formal full-sleeve shirt and trousers, a chase for some distance.

A visibly irritated Choubey told a posse of journalists before speeding away “it has been orchestrated by elements who do not believe in democracy, who led a life of crime before entering politics”.

Although the minister took no names, his barb was apparently aimed at controversial politician Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav, who has floated his own outfit Jan Adhikar Party (JAP).

Several people, claiming to owe allegiance to JAP, had raised slogans against Choubey when he had arrived at the PMCH in the morning.

Yadav had made his presence felt in the state capital during the recent waterlogging when he was seen moving through the inundated streets atop motor boats, distributing food, drinking water and money among residents.

On a local news channel, a man in his 20s appeared dressed in a blue T-shirt claiming that he indeed was the one who had thrown ink at the minister.

He said he did so as an expression of “personal anguish” over the failure of governments in the state as well as the Centre to help the people of the city whose lives had come to a grinding halt on account of streets remaining submerged in waist-deep water for several days together.

He also said his name was Nishant Jha and although he acted in his “personal capacity”, he was an active member of the students wing of JAP.

However, when Yadav was contacted and told about Jha, he remained evasive about the young mans connection with his party.

“I do not condone such acts. But did the honourable minister expect bouquets? A few drops of ink on his clothes has got his goat.

“He should try putting himself in the shoes of those whose homes and shops were destroyed in water logging and who are still not able to live in peace, thanks to the outbreak of vector-borne diseases that the deluge has brought in its wake”, Yadav told reporters.

Later, after concluding a meeting with state health officials besides central medical experts who have been camping here to assist the former, Choubey denounced the episode as “a cowardly act”.

He said “if people are so desirous of expressing anguish, they should do so in my face, without hiding behind a crowd and scurrying away immediately afterwards”.

Meanwhile, no FIR was registered in connection with the incident which took place several hours ago and Pir Bahore police station SHO- Rizwan Ahmed Khan- said “we are awaiting a complaint to be lodged on behalf of the aggrieved party”.

A close aide of Choubey said on condition of anonymity the minister has left for Samastipur where he has been requested by LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan to campaign in favour of his nephew and party candidate Prince in the Lok Sabha by-election.

“We, wonder why the police cannot act taking suo motu cognizance of an incident that has taken place at a public place, caught on camera and involves a Union minister,” the minister’s aide said.

Patna diary: Bihar medical college hospitals to have eye bank

Source: newindianexpress.com

Bihar medical college hospitals to have eye bank

Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi said on Sunday that each of the nine medical college and hospitals in Bihar will have a full-fledged eye bank functioning from October. A fund of Rs 1.5 crore has already been sanctioned for setting up the eye banks. Speaking during a function held on International Organ Donation Day, Modi said a target of successful transplantation of corneas in the next one year will be achieved. He said 412 cornea transplants and 54 kidney transplants had been done successfully.

Career portal launched to help students

The Bihar Education Project Council (BEPC), in association with the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), has launched the state’s first career portal in a move to help students choose their careers. Launched by state education minister KN Verma, www.biharcareerportal.com provides information on careers, scholarships, colleges, entrance exam preparation, and other subjects. The head of the Bihar chapter of Unicef, Assadur Rahman, said that more than 78 lakh youths would benefit from this portal. He said nearly 13.88 lakh students of Class 10 and 10.83 lakh students of Class 12 can also benefit from the portal in seeking details on careers. The career portal will help the students make appropriate career choices.

Anganwadi centres to be linked with HQ

Around 1.24 lakh Anganwadi centres run by the Integrated Child Development Services will be linked with the state headquarters through a digital app by November this year. Following this, officials would be able to monitor the functioning, attendance of pupils and other activities of the centres online. By August 31, all the volunteers at the centres would be equipped with smartphones to run the digital app. The Integrated Child Development Services department has made preparations to provide training on running the system in 21 districts of the state, including Patna.

RJD leaders scramble to get Kashmir apples for Lalu

Sources in RJD in Patna have revealed that party chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, who is in prison in connection with fodder scam cases, eats two Kashmiri apples a day to remain healthy. But the amendment of Article 370 has led to a shortage of the apples. With the apples hard to come by in the Ranchi and Patna markets, RJD leaders are scurrying to get them from across the country for their leader. A number of RJD leaders have asked their contacts in other cities, including in Jammu and Kashmir, to send Kashmiri apples for Lalu Yadav by any means.

“The BJP has again created inconvenience for our leader, albeit indirectly, by scrapping Article 370, as it has caused a shortage of apples from Kashmir which are eaten by our sahib”, an RJD leader remarked in lighter vein.