Start 1st batch of AIIMS, Bathinda at Baba Farid university: Punjab CM told

The union minister has in her letter also conveyed to the chief minister that other State governments including Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, where also AIIMS projects are coming up, have opened admissions for the 2019- 20 batch at alternative locations.

Chandigarh: Union food processing minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal has requested chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh to give the go-ahead to a proposal mooted by her to start classes for the first batch of MBBS students of AIIMS, Bathinda at the Baba Farid University, Faridkot keeping in view that the medical college building will be completed by October 2019.

The union minister, who has written a letter in this regard to the chief minister, has also brought it to his notice that she has talked to the Baba Farid University vice-chancellor in this context and that he is in agreement with her proposal.

She has also conveyed that Union health minister J P Nadda has also agreed to consider the proposal in case the Punjab government forwards the same.

Ms Badal has also conveyed in the letter to the chief minister that this step would also save the Punjab government from incurring additional expenditure on creating laboratories and hostel facilities for the medical students. She said Baba Farid University had laboratory and hostel facilities to absorb the first batch of AIIMS, Bathinda students.

The union minister has in her letter also conveyed to the chief minister that other State governments including Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, where also AIIMS projects are coming up, have opened admissions for the 2019- 20 batch at alternative locations.

She said since the AIIMS project was in full swing and the medical college building was likely to come up by October 2019 Punjab should also do likewise.