The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, laid the foundation stones for seven new medical colleges and inaugurated five others in Rajasthan. The newly inaugurated medical colleges are located in Chittorgarh, Dholpur, Sirohi, Sikar, and Sri Ganganagar. Additionally, the foundation stones were laid for the establishment of seven medical colleges in Baran, Bundi, Karauli, Jhunjhunu, Sawai Madhopur, Jaisalmer, and Tonk. These medical colleges are being established under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for “Establishment of new medical colleges attached with existing district/referral hospitals.”
The total cost for developing the five medical colleges that were inaugurated amounts to around Rs 1,400 crore, while the seven medical colleges whose foundation stone was laid will be built at an estimated cost of Rs 2,275 crore. Prior to 2014, Rajasthan had only ten medical colleges, which has now increased to 35.
The establishment of these 12 new medical colleges will significantly boost the healthcare education in the state, increasing the number of MBBS seats from 1,750 in 2013-14 to 6,275 seats, a remarkable increase of 258 percent.
In addition to the medical colleges, the Prime Minister also inaugurated six Eklavya Model Residential Schools in Udaipur, Banswara, Partapgarh, and Dungarpur. These schools aim to benefit the tribal population residing in these districts. Furthermore, he also inaugurated Kendriya Vidyalaya Tivri, Jodhpur during the same program.
The Prime Minister also inaugurated the new International Airport in Rajkot, Gujarat. The existing Rajkot Airport faced limitations due to surrounding residential and commercial development, hindering its expansion to meet civil aviation requirements. Therefore, a new Greenfield airport at Hirasar, Rajkot was proposed, and the Airports Authority of India was entrusted with its development.
The new terminal building at Hirasar Airport spans an area of 23,000 square meters and can accommodate up to 2,800 passengers during peak hours. It is equipped with 20 check-in counters and 5 conveyor belts. The airport’s runway measures 3,040 meters in length and 45 meters in width, and the apron can handle ten Code-C type and four Code-B type aircraft simultaneously.
The airport has incorporated various sustainability features, such as a double insulated roofing system, canopies for energy-saving, LED lighting, low heat gain double glazing units, landscaping with fountains, and a solar power plant to achieve GRIHA –IV ratings. The development of the airport and associated infrastructures was carried out on a total land area of 2,534 acres, at a cost of Rs 1,405 crore.
Overall, these initiatives represent a significant step in enhancing healthcare and aviation infrastructure in the region, benefiting the people of Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Government of India has accorded ‘In-Principle’ approval for setting up of 21 new Greenfield Airports namely, Mopa in Goa, Navi Mumbai, Shirdi and Sindhudurg in Maharashtra, Kalaburagi, Vijayapura, Hassan and Shivamogga in Karnataka, Dabra (Gwalior) in Madhya Pradesh, Kushinagar and Noida (Jewar) in Uttar Pradesh, Dholera and Hirasar in Gujarat, Karaikal in Puducherry, Dagadarthi, Bhogapuram and Orvakal (Kurnool) in Andhra Pradesh, Durgapur in West Bengal, Pakyong in Sikkim, Kannur in Kerala and Hollongi (Itanagar) in Arunachal Pradesh across the country. Out of these, 11 Greenfield airports viz. Durgapur, Shirdi, Kannur, Pakyong, Kalaburagi, Orvakal (Kurnool), Sindhudurg, Kushinagar, Itanagar, Mopa and Shivamogga have been operationalised.
