Assembly passes 3rd supplementary demands

Bihar Assembly today passed the third supplementary demand for grant of Rs 5603.30 crore of the current financial year 2017-18 as well as the Bihar Appropriation Bill 2018 amid boycott by opposition MLAs. The Appropriation Bill is required for withdrawal of the supplementary demand from the treasury to meet various outstanding expenditure in addition to those sanctioned in the budget 2017-18. Health Minister Mangal Pandey, the in-charge minister, tabled the Bihar Appropriation Bill 2018 which was passed by the voice vote. Opposition RJD and Congress legislators staged a walk out during a debate on third supplementary expressing dissatisfaction over the minister's reply. While giving reply on behalf of health department, Pandey outlined the priorities and achievements of his department. The government has ensured the appointment of doctors, para medical staff and technical staff apart from constructing different types of hospitals in the state, the minister said. The government is setting up five new medical colleges at Madhubani, Sitamarhi, Begusarai, Mahua (Vaishali) and Ara (Bhojpur), Pandey said in his reply. Three more medical colleges will be established under centrally sponsored schemes at Purnea, Samastipur and Chapra (Saran), he said and added that nursing colleges will be opened at all the medical colleges. A total of 250 new ambulances has been provided to different districts apart from existing 812 ambulances, the minister said while announcing that 40 more ambulances will be made available in the current year itself for which an MoU was signed with NHAI. The minister said that the emergency drug list of both OPD and IPD has been amended to incorporate the medicines used for cancer, kidney, diabetes, and other life saving drugs.

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