The Uttar Pradesh government admitted in the state Assembly that there was a shortage of 7,348 doctors in government hospitals though in the last 16 months of the BJP regime the government had recruited 3,253 doctors through different modes.
Replying to a question of SP member Manoj Kumar Paras during Question Hour on Tuesday, state Minister for Rural Development Mahendra Singh said there were 841 specialist doctors who were appointed by the government. Claiming that there was no shortage of medicines in government hospitals, the minister said the retirement age of the doctors had been increased from 60 to 62 years, while retired specialist doctors were engaged on contract basis. He said there were 18,382 posts of doctors in the state.
However, the SP member alleged that in most of the government hospitals in the state, doctors forced patients to go to private nursing homes and that was something very unfortunate.
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana: The Uttar Pradesh government said that Uttar Pradesh had topped the country in the construction of Pradhan Mantri Awas. “While UP has met 83 per cent of the target, the other states are yet to reach 50 per cent,” state Rural Development Minister Mahendra Singh said.
Replying to a question of Samajwadi Party member Manoj Kumar Pandey, the minister said that anomalies were also detected in the scheme for which an FIR was registered against 99 pradhans and, in total, action was taken against 273. Besides, 134 officials and 1,173 employees also had to face the music for different irregularities. A total of 1,673 complaints were also received for different lapses.
Singh blamed the previous Samajwadi Party government for not launching the scheme which led to shortfall in the target. “We have also cancelled 88,000 allotment of houses due to different lapses,” he said.
But the SP members alleged that the beneficiaries were being charged extra by officials and others to get the benefit.