Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh today said that health and education are a priority of Government in the far-flung areas of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. He said that status of tertiary education and infrastructure of J&K was improving at a fast pace. He said this while inaugurating first batch of MBBS students at Government Medical College (GMC), Doda, J&K in the virtual presence of Lieutenant Governor, UT of J&K Shri Manoj Sinha. Advisor to Lieutenant Governor, Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar and Finance Commissioner Shri Atal Dullo were also present on the occasion.While addressing the audience Dr Singh said that the commencement of session of first batch of MBBS students at GMC, Doda was a historic achievement since it fulfilled the aspirations of the people and would lead to medical and educational advancement of people of the region. He further said that GMC Doda It will not only provide the better healthcare facilities to Doda district but to the entire region of Chenab Valley. He added that J&K UT has now 7 sanctioned GMC'S, out of which 5 have started working in full swing.Dr Singh said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi a new era of development has ushered in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir. He further said that with various development projects being undertaken and being completing across various sectors in Jammu and Kashmir the landscape of the UT was changing at a fast pace. He said that with the current pace of development J&K will soon become a harbinger of change in achieving the Vision of ‘New India’ and ‘Swasth Bharat’ as envision by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
While elaborating the developments in the far-flung areas of J&K with a special reference to Chenab valley, Dr Singh said that various developmental projects that are being undertaken would empower people in changing their destinies since there would no longer be restrained due to lack of infrastructure or connectivity. He mentioned that improvements in the physical infrastructure in last few years in the region had been a catalyst for improving the health and educational status of Doda district. He specifically mentioned that the improvement in connectivity had provided impetus to female education especially tertiary female education in Chenab valley.Giving a detailed account of the infrastructure projects in the region Dr Singh said that work had commenced on the National Highway connecting Khilanai to Sudmahadev and would be completed in 2-3 years. He said that Doda district would soon be connected with Chamba in Himachal Pradesh via a 6 km tunnel that would greatly reduce the travel time between the two. He added that under BRO’s BEACON project Lakhanpur would be connected with Doda-Baderwah via Bani-Basholi. With respect to power production in the region Dr Singh said that Power Projects like Pakaldul, Dhulhasti –II would make the region self- sufficient in electricity and would also be able to provide power outside the region.Earlier, Lieutenant Governor, UT of J&K Shri Manoj Sinha in his address said that the UT of J&K was witnessing a revolution in healthcare with drastic improvements in the healthcare infrastructure and manpower. He added that with increasing expenditure on health care and improvement in overall health facilities the health based outcome would drastically improve in J&K, especially in medically backward areas, as can be witnessed from improving heath indicators across the UT.Inaugural Edition of Medical College Magazine “The Chenab” was also inaugurated on the occasion.