Kerala CM raises setting up AIIMS, Ayurveda research institute at NITI Aayog meet

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan Saturday raised the issue of establishing a medical  institute equivalent to AIIMS in the state during this financial year. He was in the national capital to attend the fifth Governing Council meeting of NITI Aayog. Speaking at a press conference here, Vijayan maintained that his government has identified sites for establishing AIIMS-like institute in the southern state according to the direction of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

“We have informed the ministry that 200 acres of land in Kozhikode district of Kerala has been identified. The establishment of AIIMS in Kerala will augment the real-time efforts of Kerala government in setting higher standards of medical education and better quality of preventive and curative treatment facilities,” he said.

The Left leader said the Kerala government also intends to establish an international research institute on Ayurveda. He said it will be a laboratory-cum-study centre for the scientific development of Ayurveda.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi had expressed keen interest regarding the global Ayurveda institute and assured all support. We have presented the project to the Centre for funding and urged the prime minister for early approval,” he said.

Among other projects, the Kerala government also proposed the extension of Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor to Kochi via Coimbatore. The proposal has been submitted to the National Industrial Corridor Development Implementation Trust.

On his meeting with Union minister Nitin Gadkari, Vijayan said the Centre has assured the state that the development of its national highways will be taken up on a priority basis.  

The Kerala chief minister also called on the prime minister and expressed the state’s reservation on the privatisation of Thiruvananthapuram international airport.