Education Budget 2024: Karnataka CM urges Nirmala Sitharaman to announce AIIMS Raichur in budget

NEW DELHI: Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah has urged the union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman to include the establishment of an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Raichur in the Interim Budget 2024. The finance minister will present the next year's budget today at 11 am in the Parliament.

In a letter addressed to Sitharaman, the Karnataka CM said, "I write this to you soliciting your attention and action to include the establishment of an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Karnataka, in the Central Budget of 2024-25."

The chief minister enclosed a copy of his letter on the matter addressed to union health and family welfare minister Mansukh Mandaviya.

Also read Interim Budget 2024: Fund cuts, scholarships; a recap of budget 2023, impact on universities

According to the CM, Raichur is the most appropriate place to set up an AIIMS in the state. The district has high quality medical facilities in comparison to the other districts and is in urgent need of a referral medical centre, the CM added.

"As you are aware, Raichur is an aspirational district, coming under Karnataka Kalyana region, where healthcare, education, and per capita income levels are still subpar as compared to other regions of Karnataka. The Raichur district is in an urgent need to establish a high quality referral medical centre," Siddaramaiah said in the letter.

The CM further said that the proposal of setting up an AIIMS in Karnataka has been pending for quite some time. "The state government, on consideration of possible locations, is of the view that Raichur is the most suitable place to establish an AIIMS. I would, therefore, request you to include the establishment of AIIMS in Raichur in the forthcoming budget of 2024-25," Siddaramaiah urged Nirmala Sitharaman.