Lt Governor Anil Baijal yesterday praised the Delhi government’s achievements in health, education and other sectors and said 1,000 Mohalla Clinics will be set up within six months.
Addressing the Delhi assembly on the opening day of the budget session, Baijal listed all the work done by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in the last two years.
This was Baijal’s first address to the house after he assumed office in December – and it came as a contrast to the times when the AAP and former Lt Governor Najeeb Jung were locked in a perennial conflict.
Focusing on the health and education sectors, Baijal said over 100 Mohalla Clinics – where people have access to doctors, tests and medicines for free – were working and their number would go up to 1,000 in six months.
In his 25-minute address, periodically welcomed by thumping of desks by the AAP-dominated house, Baijal said the clinics had earned global acclaim including from former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan.
Baijal, who succeeded Jung in December, added that 122 polyclinics – secondary healthcare centres – would also be completed in the next one year.
He said the Delhi government had also made radiology tests like MRI, CT and PET scans free for Delhi’s residents.
“My government is focused on providing affordable healthcare services to its citizens.”
Baijal said 10,000 additional beds would soon be added to Delhi’s healthcare system.
The Lt Governor said work was underway to build 8,000 new classrooms and 20 new schools, out of which 14 schools were ready.
For higher education, construction of new campuses for Ambedkar University had started at Rohini in north-west Delhi and Dheerpur in north Delhi.
For skills development, the Delhi government will set up five new polytechnics.
Baijal praised the government for its “reading campaign” that he said had transformed 100,000 children from non-readers to readers.