Vacant Skill development centers 3 medical colleges : Punjab Govt to investigate

Chandigarh: A high-level probe has been ordered by the Punjab Chief Minister, Amarinder Singh, into the three development centres lying non-functional, since being set up in the medical colleges of Amritsar, Patiala and Faridkot, at a cost of Rs 18 crore.

The probe has been initiated after complaints that while the skill development centres lay vacant, in the absence of students, the centres for the skill being run by private companies, which had been granted prime government land were violating conditions laid down in their contracts, reports TOI.

A three-member Probe Committee, headed by Sanjay Kumar, Principal Secretary, Medical Education and Research has been set up. The other members of the committee include Secretary Skill Development Mission, Bhawna Garg, and Director Research Medical Education, Avnish Kumar.

It is reported Rs 6 crore have been invested in each of the government medical colleges of Patiala, Amritsar and Faridkot, for the creation of infrastructure at these centres, by the Punjab Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).

A suggestion to implement NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories) standards in all government medical colleges and hospitals was accepted by the Chief Minister, who was chairing a meeting regarding the same.

On the issue of PIMS Medical and Education Charitable (PMEC) Society seeking relaxation in the concession agreement, directions were given by the Chief Minister to the Steering Committee to review the issue, keeping the fresh Vijay Kelkar Committee recommendations on the public-private partnership (PPP) model in mind, before redressing legal opinion.

An ex-post facto approval was given to Dr Vimal Sikri’s appointment as Director, PIMS society.