PM Modi to lay foundation stone for AIIMS Bilaspur, address BJP rally

Prime Minister Narendra Modi (File)

Just ahead of the forthcoming state Assembly polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone for an AIIMS in Bilaspur on October 3. During his one-day visit, Prime Minister will also address a massive public meeting to give a boost to the BJP’s election campaign.

Earlier, the Prime Minister had addressed party rallies in Mandi on October 18 and another big rally in Shimla on April 27 .This will be PM’s third visit to the poll-bound state, which the BJP is trying to wrest from the Congress. Confirming PM’s visit, former CM Prem Kumar Dhumal said: “AIIMS will prove to be a big milestone in upgradation of health infrastructure in the hill state and provide improved health care to the people at door steps. Prime Minister may also lay the foundation stone of one or two more projects, most likely the IIM at Paonta Sahib in Sirmaur.”

PM Modi’s visit comes soon after BJP president Amit Shah’s visit to Kangra – one of the state’s biggest district which sends 15 MLAs to the 68-member House. He addressed a BJP youth wing rally, beside making first-hand assessment of the party’s poll preparedness on the ground.

Sources said Shah helped in planning PM’s visit and launching the AIIMS project, as the ruling Congress government had been accusing the Centre of deliberately delaying the project even after land has already been transferred.

Health Minister J P Nadda, who was in Shimla on Saturday, expressed his gratitude to the Prime Minister for agreeing to lay the foundation stone for multi-crore AIIMS in Himachal Pradesh. “On behalf of the people of Himachal Pradesh, I thank him for his gesture as the project will prove to be milestone in the list of achievements of the NDA government in the health sector. The AIIMS Bilaspur will not only will medical services to a vast population of Himachal Pradesh, but to other northern states too,” he said.