At the second convocation ceremony of Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma University of Health Sciences, the Chancellor of the University and Governor, Haryana, Bandaru Dattatraya and Chief Minister, Manohar Lal Khattar presented degrees to the students of various courses related to health sciences.

Addressing the gathering in Rohtak, Khattar said that about Rs. 16 thousand crore is being spent by the government on medical, education and research etc. A provision has been made by the government for the welfare of the society that the students who have obtained doctor's degrees from government medical colleges should give some part of their earnings for social causes. He called upon the students who took the degree of doctors to come forward for social service. Serve the people through government service and take care of the people of the state.

Khattar said that a joint course of bio engineering and medical engineering will be started soon in the state. He said that the kidney transplant will start soon in Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma University of Health Sciences. He said it is being ensured that every district must have a medical college and at present, 13 medical colleges are functioning in the state and 11 medical colleges are either under construction or have been announced. He said that after the year 2014, medical seats have been increased significantly in the state and in the next five years, the number of these seats will be increased to 3,000.

He said that as per the norms of World Health Organization, there is a requirement of one doctor per 1000 population. Thus, at present there is a need of 28 thousand doctors in the state, while there are about 7 thousand government doctors in the state. About 50 percent of doctors, including government and private doctors, are providing services to the people in the state. The state government is making continuous efforts to meet the shortage of doctors.

On this occasion, degrees of MCh, MD, MS, MDS, M Pharmacy, MBBS, BDS, BSE Nursing, Bachelor of Physiotherapy were given to the students and gold and silver medal winners were given medals under various awards.

POLLUTION LEVELS REDUCED DUE TO WESTERN WINDS

Speaking on the sidelines of a function in Rohtak, Khattar said that the air pollution has been reduced due to the effects of western winds. According to the Meteorological Department, the weather condition will remain the same for the next six days and certainly there will be further decline in air pollution.  He said that due to Western winds, the air pollution has been reduced significantly in comparison to the last few days and the Air Quality Index has come down below 400. Despite this, it is very important to maintain safety standards and take precautions.  In response to the question, the Chief Minister said that Haryana State has always lived up to the expectation, for which the Chairman of NGT has also appreciated the efforts made by the State Government to reduce air pollution.

CM URGES PEOPLE TO ADOPT METHODS OF FOREST CONSERVATION

Addressing a programme to plant more trees out of forest area organized at Radhakrishna Auditorium of Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, Khattar  said that awareness should be made to adopt forest conservation methods besides tree plantation.  He said that Haryana is a small state and has only 3.5 percent forest area.  If we talk about trees outside the forest area, then that too is only 3.2 percent. Overall, about 6.7 percent of the forest area can be considered and under this program, a target has been set to develop 20 percent forest area in the state.  He said that there is a need to increase awareness in educational institutions regarding the conservation of trees and plants.

GURUGRAM GETS TWO BIG PROJECTS WORTH RS 141 CRORE

In his hectic day, Haryana Chief Minister also dedicated two important projects to the people of Gurugram costing Rs. 141 crores.  The new projects include the newly constructed flyover at Basai Chowk and Mahavir Chowk underpass near the main bus stand. Addressing a gathering the Chief Minister said that a new chapter has been added to the journey that started eight years back to make Gurugram a developed city.  With these new projects, people will get relief from traffic jams.

Referring to the development of Gurugram done during the tenure of the present government, Khattar said that with the inauguration of two big projects, Gurugram has taken another giant leap forward in terms of development.  "When our government came to power in 2014, Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) was formed to expand the development and further ensure that the development schemes related to Gurugram are formulated and are. approved here only and there is no need to send the file to Chandigarh to get any approval," added the Chief Minister. He said that the development of Gurugram has gained momentum with the formation of GMDA.

The Chief Minister said that the present government has worked to bridge the gap between the old Gurugram city and the new Gurugram which had widened during the previous governments.  Plans have also been made and implemented for the development of the old city as well, he added.