Centre has approved Punjab’s long-pending proposal to allow parity in fat standards of cow milk with other States across the country. The Centre has brought the fat standards down from four per cent to 3.5 per cent as permitted in the rest of India by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
The decision, taken after personal intervention of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, by Union Health and Family Welfare Minister JP Nadda during their meeting at New Delhi on Friday.
Nadda informed Badal that the issue related to bringing the prescribed fat standards of cow milk in Punjab, Haryana and UT Chandigarh at par with other States of the country has been cleared by the task force group on milk and milk products constituted by the FSSAI.
He said that the final notification in this regard would be issued by the Union Ministry of Health within two months after getting green signal from the World Trade Organization (WTO) as it was mandatory under the prescribed rules and regulations for the Ministry to seek its nod prior issuing a notification.
Expressing gratitude to Nadda for taking a positive call on the issue, Badal said that this path-breaking decision would go a long way in giving a major boost to the state’s dairy sector and offer a level playing field to the dairy farmers in the State.
On another issue related to setting up of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Bathinda, Nadda informed Badal that all requisite formalities have been completed and cleared by the special committee constituted by the Health Ministry, which has also inspected the site and now the Ministry would finally get this prestigious project cleared in the next meeting of Union Cabinet.
He assured Badal that immediately after getting Cabinet’s nod, the work on this mega health project would be taken up on war footing.Badal also extended a formal invite to Nadda to lay the foundation stone of AIIMS at Bathinda as per his convenience and same was accepted by the Union Minister.
Seeking special funds for reviving glorious legacy and heritage of Amritsar’s Government Medical College which is one of the oldest and prestigious medical colleges in the country, Badal urged the Union Health Ministry to allow one-time special grant to refurbish its heritage grandeur.
Nadda asked the state government to send a comprehensive proposal in this behalf to enable him to take up this issue with the Finance Ministry separately for seeking funds for this Medical College in view of its rich heritage.
Badal also sought `120 crore funds required for the setting up of State Cancer Institute at Amritsar to cope up with the curse of cancer effectively. He, however, also requested Nadda to sanction similar projects for Hoshiarpur and Fazilka in order to provide best treatment to cancer patients and asked the Ministry to grant approval for these cancer treatment Institutes expeditiously.
Responding to another demand to seek financial assistance for additional trauma centres at Government Hospitals on national highways, Nadda asked the Chief Minister to send a detailed action plan in this regard. He assured that there was considerable scope for upgradation of trauma centres with innovative techniques and facilities to provide the best possible treatment to the accidental victims.
Demanding increase in quota of post-graduate seats, Badal sought Health Ministry’s direct intervention to take up the issue of revising norms for allotment of PG seats with the Medical Council of India (MCI) and thus allowing three PG seats per professor instead of existing norm of two seats per Professor.
He brought into the notice of Nadda that the State Medical Colleges were grappling with acute shortage of PG specialists in Psychiatry, Radiology, Anesthesia, Gynae, Forensic Medicine and orthopedics.
Similarly, Badal also raised the issue to enhance MBBS seats in Government Medical College, Amritsar, from 150 to 200, for which the state government had resubmitted a fresh proposal.
Badal also requested the Union Health Ministry to immediately release Rs 84 crore for 50 increased seats each in GMC at Patiala and Amritsar.
