The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has decided to invest Rs 350 crore for setting up a medical college and hospital in Sundargarh district.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to this effect was signed between the NTPC and Principal Secretary, State Health Department, Pradeep Kumar Mohapatra on Friday at the State Secretariat. The estimated capital expenditure (CAPEX) for this project would be entirely borne by the NTPC. The project is likely to be commissioned by the 2016-17 academic year when MBBS students can enrol for the course.
“The proposed medical college at Sundargarh will have 100 MBBS seats as per the norms prescribed by the Medical Council of India (MCI) and the hospital will be a 400-bed one,” NTPC CMD Arup Roy Choudhury told mediapersons. “Out of the 100 seats, 10 seats will be reserved for the qualified candidates of project displaced families and students of NTPC employees’ families,” he said.
The NTPC aims to invest around Rs 1,50,000 crore in Odisha during the 12th Five-Year Plan at a rate of Rs 20,000 crore to Rs 30,000 crore per year,” he said, adding that it has already invested close to Rs 30,000 crore in the State. The State Government has provided 20 acres of land adjacent to the National Highway in the district to the NTPC at zero cost for setting up the project.
Health Minister Damodar Rout said three medical colleges and hospitals are already in the process of being set up in the districts of Keonjhar, Kalahandi and Angul (Talcher).