A State-level cancer institute at a cost of Rs 120 crore will be established in Bilaspur, announced Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad on Thursday after dedicating All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), Raipur located at Tatibandha.

He also declared that a tertiary cancer institute will be set up at Manendragarh in Korea district at a cost of Rs 45 crore.

The announcement came after Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing Charan Das Mahant demanded setting up of a medical college at Manendragarh. However, Azad said that a medical college can be granted by the Ministry only in district headquarter and offered a tertiary cancer institute instead.

The Union Cabinet had sanctioned setting up of 71 stand-alone cancer care institutes throughout the country at a cost of Rs 6,650 crore last month to battle against increasing cases of cancer and rising toll due to the disease in the country.

The cancer institute in Bilaspur will be among the 20 State-level institutes while the one in Korea will be among the 23 tertiary-level cancer institute sanctioned for the country. “Over 11 lakh new cancer cases and five lakh deaths were reported every year in the country,” Azad said.

The minister also assured the ministers that post-graduate seats in medical colleges in the seats will be increased by April. He emphasised on the need of spreading better healthcare facilities in villages through nurses, health workers and proper implementation of government schemes.